Living in Meyer
by Bookworm-xxx
Summary: When Ashley opens her door up into Bella Swan's bedroom the last thing she expects is to get trapped in Bella's fictional world. How will she get home and more importantly, what will she do when in Bella's absense the story starts to go wrong?
1. Double Reality Door

**Disclaimer: ****A couple of weeks ago I watched a two part mini series called 'Lost in Austen'. It gave me the idea for this fan fiction as it happens. So, I'll say here and now, all Twilight characters, locations etc. belong to Stephenie Meyer and the concept of the idea belongs to whoever created 'Lost in Austen'. Hopefully I will do both justice. Enjoy.**

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**LIVING IN MEYER**

**By Bookworm_xxx**

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Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved to read. Whether it be fantasy, crime, chick-lit or even a classic, I flick through it in a mere couple of days. For this reason, I always found it extremely hard to answer the question: 'what's your favourite book?' Having read so many, it was impossible to pick just one. That is, it was, until the day my friend told me about a series of books she was thinking of reading.

The author: Stephenie Meyer and the series, the Twilight saga.

From the moment I first picked up that black, red and white cover and started reading, I knew I'd found it. My favourite novel.

I devoured the first three books in three days, frustrated at the idea of waiting a year and two months until the final instalment.

In the two years following that pivotal moment, I've read Twilight so many times that I've lost count. The words would flow into one another like the most natural thing in the world, time flew by without me so much as noticing, or caring, and the love story between Bella and Edward remained as wonderful as it was all that time ago.

So, whenever my life would stress me out or when things became so difficult that I felt the urge to escape from it all, I'd turn to my favourite book to make it all better. My bible, my retreat. Yet, there were days when I would wish, more than anything, that I could move past merely staring at a page. That I could be there. In Forks. In the world of fiction, witnessing it all.

I guess I should have remembered the whole 'Be careful what you wish for' warning.

"You're reading it _again_. Ashley, can't you try something else for a change? I know you like it but aren't you sick of it yet?" My mum stared down at the book in my arms as she collected the dirty washing from my sister's and my shared bathroom.

I lowered the book quickly, feeling like I'd just been caught doing something I shouldn't.

Smiling, I turned to face her. "Nope, I'm not and I don't think I ever will be, to tell you the truth."

Mum shook her head in exasperation, "Okay…" she said as she took the hamper in her arms, leaving the conversation at that. I waited until her footsteps had stopped creaking down the hallway stairs before closing my bedroom door again and leaping excitedly onto my bed.

Getting myself comfortable, I sighed happily and turned the first few pages back to reveal the preface. My eyes flickered back and forth across the page taking in the foreword on the events to come.

All of a sudden the bedroom door was thrown open, my sister coming into the room.

My sister Chloe is eleven to my fifteen – well almost sixteen. She's tall, round faced and always seems to be on the move or doing _something_, even if it means completely annoying me to death.

"Chlo, get out." I snapped, annoyed. "I'm reading."

"Guess what," she told me, her voice clearly showing that she was choosing to ignore my previous request.

"I don't care, get o–" I began as she cut me off.

"Steph's coming over tomorrow for a sleepover," she talked over me, a wide grin across her face at the idea of keeping me from whatever it was I wished I were doing instead.

"Whatever you may think Chloe, I honestly don't care who you have coming over. Now get out of my room!" I yelled the last part as I got up to begin shoving her out the door.

"Hey!" she yelled as I pushed her out into the hallway and slammed the door.

So far my afternoon of relaxation wasn't going as smoothly as planned. Anybody else want to come and talk to me about something before I attempt to sit down and read _again_? I thought out into the universe.

Protesting against the whole being thrown out thing, Chloe pushed against the door. With a sudden burst of force, she threw it open and positioned herself in the doorway.

"Get out," I fumed.

"I'm not in your room." She said in a sign-song voice. "Technically, I'm in the hallway. You can't throw me out of the hallway."

I grinned bitterly, "Well, last time I checked this was my door. So I am using my given right to close my door. Goodbye." I shut the door hard, knowing she couldn't do anything to stop it. Eventually, she'd give up and go bother someone else. Perhaps, our dog.

I walked briskly back to my bed and planted myself in the middle again. My eyes darted to the first line of chapter one just as a loud rattling noise echoed around the room. I flicked my gaze up as my brass coloured door knob began to rattle violently. It was the sort of noise made by a door when someone was trying to throw it open but had instead found it frustratingly stuck.

Standing up, I stomped across the room. "Chloe, if that's you again I swear to god I will kill you." I yelled angrily.

Without warning, the door swung open and I found myself face to face with someone very different to what I had been expecting. Stepping through my doorway from a room that looked nothing like my upstairs hallway was a girl. She was a few centimetres shorter than I was, average weight, pale skinned and had long, curly, brown hair. At first I did a double take. I knew I had never met the girl before but somehow she seemed very familiar to me, like someone I had pictured in my imagination or a reflection seen through the rippled surface of a pool of water.

She raised an eyebrow, widening her chocolate eyes and taking in a scene which clearly surprised her just as much as it did me.

"Umm…who are you and what are you doing in my dad's house?" She asked, confused. I frowned, stumped at what to say to this/

"I could ask you the same thing." I shot back. "What are you doing in my hallway?" At my words, I peered past her into the confines of a fairly clean and uncluttered bedroom. I had no idea where it was but one thing was certain, it definitely wasn't my upstairs hallway.

"Your hallway?" She walked forwards into my bedroom and looked around. "Okay, this is a little weird." she said, looking me over, her eyes lingering on the Twilight novel in my hand. Looking down at the silver title, my brain had a synapse.

Wait, but she couldn't be…

"I'm sorry, this is going to sound really…odd, not that things could get any weirder right now, but you remind me of Bella Swan." The words had sounded stupid inside my head but coming out my mouth, I realised, they sounded even more ridiculous.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, looking affronted. I froze.

You have got to be kidding me.

"Your name?" I scoffed. "You mean you're Isabella Swan? No, that's not possible. You're a fictional character and fictional characters do not talk and walk around my bedroom." I shook my head, realising that I must have been going insane. This was completely impossible. Normal people did not have lengthy conversations with fictional characters.

"Fictional character? The last time I checked I was perfectly real." Bella protested, giving me a look that showed she too was questioning my sanity.

"Okay, I've finally lost it. I've snapped." I told myself. "This is what I get for reading Twilight too many times. Mum always told me I should be reading something different for a change."

"_Right_…" Bella took a step back. "Well, at least tell me your name. You appear to know mine…somehow."

I paused for a moment, thoughtfully. "I'm Ashley Gill but I don't see how that matters. Considering that I've gone insane and you're a figment of my imagination, you already know that. Right now, I'm probably just having a conversation with myself." God forbid anyone in my family happening to walk in on me at this moment in time.

"You're not real, you're not real." I repeated the words over and over again, closing my eyes. Counting to ten, I told myself that when I reopened them, Bella Swan would not be standing in my bedroom. I opened them again to find her still standing in front of me. "You're still here!" I exclaimed in a panic. "How are you still here?"

"Ashley, I have no idea what your problem is but I'm telling you, I'm a real person. How I got into your room, I don't know, but as for my existence, I think you can take my word on it." She snapped, somewhat frustrated.

"Alright then, tell me something I couldn't possibly know." I said, coming up with the only possibly way I could think to prove I wasn't going completely ga-ga.

"Excuse me?" She stared at me blankly.

"Anything! Tell me a fact, something about you or the world that I couldn't possibly know. Just prove to me that I'm not bloody hallucinating!" I raved hysterically.

"Okay, okay, okay, hold on." She sighed, making no attempt to calm me down. "Oh, how about this, the four phases of mitosis are prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase."

I resisted the urge to groan. Of course she'd resort to Biology.

"I already know that one, try again."

Searching her memory, she'd tried again. "Odontophobia is the fear of teeth." She told me proudly.

I stopped, relief seeping in. "There is no way I could possibly have known that one."

I walked towards her and then poked her with my index finger.

"Ouch," she exclaimed, jumping back.

"Sorry, I was just, you know, checking." I smiled sheepishly. "My god, you're real. Bella Swan is real. And this must be your bedroom." I gestured to the room on the other side of my bedroom doorframe.

As I walked slowly into the room, she trailed quietly behind me. "Well, it is now. I just moved here to live with my dad for a while." She looked sad and anxious, just as I remembered from her point of view in the story. Wait, she just moved here?

"When did you get here?" I asked eagerly.

She shrugged. "About an hour ago actually and it's already raining." Glancing out the window, she sighed. I headed over to it and gazed out onto the street. There it was in the drive, Bella's rusty, old, red truck.

"Your truck," I exclaimed, a feeling of uncontrollable excitement beginning to build inside my stomach.

"Yeah, it's probably the only thing worth looking forward to about tomorrow." She mumbled, eyes fixed on the carpet.

"We really are at the beginning of the story, this is incredible." I breathed.

Bella raised an eyebrow, "Half the time, I have no idea what you're talking about." She admitted.

I laughed, thinking of what she had to expect from the future. "Considering you're going to be spending the rest of your life with Edward Cullen, you better get used to confusing responses."

Picking up on the unfamiliar name, she frowned. "Who?" she asked, confused.

"Oh right," I said, whacking a hand against forehead at my stupidity. "You don't know who that is yet."

"Hey, your accent, what are you? British?" she asked, rapidly changing the subject to something that made me want to hit her. Americans, really. Was it so different to tell us apart, we sounded nothing alike.

"I'm Australian actually." I corrected her.

Her expression brightened. "Really? Australia? Wow, I've always wanted to see Australia. You're lucky. I wish I could get away from here from a while. Starting a new school, having to live in this…place," she shivered. "I'm not looking forward to it. And besides," she walked back into my room and looked out my window. "Here it's sunny." I remembered Bella's affinity for sunshine and view on Forks being some sort of alien planet. As I thought about this, I noticed the appearance of a small change in her eyes, as though a rash decision she hadn't completely thought through had just come to mind.

All of sudden, Bella rushed towards the door through which she'd joined our two worlds, both fictional and real, and slammed it shut behind her.

I ran for it, hitting the wood with a thud as it bounced me off onto the floor. Getting up as quickly as I could, I bashed against it heavily.

"Bella!" I yelled, "Open the door! You can't leave me here! Hello! Hey!" I pulled at the doorknob until eventually it swung open, my body thrown face first into the carpet below. Removing my face from the fuzz, I looked up to find myself lying in the middle of an unfamiliar hallway with carpet eerily similar to that of Bella's bedroom, poised in front of a pair of worn, black boots.

Not good, I told myself.

At the sound of a loud cough, I gazed up from the shoes and into the face of a surprised and confused man dressed in a police uniform; a man who could only be Chief Charlie Swan.

Oh god, what have I done.

I swallowed, my heart rapidly beating against my chest. Not only was I lying in the middle of a permanent fixture of fictional Forks but I was within the immediate vicinity of a man with a gun strapped to his belt.

And boy, did I have a lot of explaining to do.

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**A/N: Right, hope you like it so far. I know it's pretty rough and boring right now but hopefully it'll get better as I progress. I also know that Bella may seem really OOC right now but don't worry, I'll get her back on track. It was necessary for story progression. **

_**Next time in Living in Meyer, Ashley has some excuses to make up. Will she get back to her own world and get Bella back where she belongs? And more importantly, what will she do when the only way to support her farfetched story behind her sudden appearance in Forks is to enroll in the one and only Forks High school?**_

_**Next time.**_


	2. Charlie

**A/N:****Yes, I know how silly and unrealistic this all is. Just go with it. Like I said, it's the only way to allow the story to work and flow. So excuse things like…the process of enrolling in high school taking longer than a morning and Charlie not immediately calling the FBI, CIA and everyone else out there once he finds out he has no idea where his daughter is.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, it would be wonderful if I did but I don't.**

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Living in Meyer

2. Charlie

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Oh dear.

"Err…hi," I said, looking up from the floor. I attempted to appear calm but in reality, my eyes were focused completely on the gun strapped to his belt.

"Who're you?" Charlie asked. You've got to give him credit for getting right to the point. At least this was an easy question to answer. No lies necessary.

"Oh, I'm Ashley Gill." I stumbled to my feet as I held out my hand. He took it awkwardly. "I'm a friend of Bella's."

"Really," he frowned, shaking my hand and letting it go. "She's never mentioned you before." _I wonder why that could be_, I thought to myself.

"Well, that's because we haven't talked in a while. You know, seeing how I live in Australia and all." I was babbling and I knew it. Still, my brain continued to grasp for excuses that were workable in the situation.

"That sounds…" he gave up on that particular train of thought. "What are you doing here and where's Bella?" he asked.

_What am I going to do now?_ I thought anxiously. Sure Charlie, I'd be happy to tell you _all_ about my bedroom door opening up into your fictional Twilight world and Bella leaving me stranded here so she could go running around Australia. Oh, is that a straightjacket you're holding?

"Umm…student exchange?" I offered. _Stupid, stupid Ashley, what are you saying?_

"Excuse me?"

"You know, where you swap schools and houses for a while to learn about different places and people, that sort of thing. So Bella's with my family in Australia and I'm well...here."

He looked completely stumped at this one. Personally, I could understand why. About five minutes ago Bella was upstairs in her room and now he was supposed to believe she was half way across the world in my bedroom in Sydney. Not likely.

"I only went out for ten minutes and this is what happens. The truck's still out front, how did she get to the airport?" Good question Chief Swan. Just hold on while I make up another absolutely absurd answer.

"She took the bus."

"The bus," he repeated in disbelief.

"Yes, the bus. Last time we talked she was pretty sure about this exchange thing so I bought my plane ticket and everything. Then I didn't hear from her for ages, I just assumed we were still going ahead with it. The problem was, when I got here Bella told me she'd forgotten all about it. She wanted to postpone but then I think the idea of getting away for a while started to appeal to her." I continue to ramble at an extremely fast speed, blurting out thoughts as they came to mind. _If Charlie actually believes this _I'll be the luckiest person in the world. Actually, rephrase that, if he doesn't throw me out of the house, I'll be _beyond_ the luckiest person in the world.

"Just like that, she left." Charlie looked sad at this prospect. What had I said? "She didn't want to talk about all this with me before she took off? It's just so unlike her. I'm going to call her." He walked down the hallway and down the staircase. I followed, panicking.

"No, no! You can't do that," I called, as he picked up the home phone.

He gave me a look, "Why not? She's my daughter. I need to know where she is and that she's safe."

"Yes, I understand that, it's just…" I struggled to find another absolutely ridiculous lie. "Her phone is out of battery and considering she's about to get on a plane, I don't think it would matter if she did have power."

Ashley, you're starting to sound stupider by the minute. Just shut up and stop talking.

"So, you can't ring her. Not at the moment."

Now would be good.

"Maybe later, my family will take good care of her. Oh wait, we're getting our phone lines fixed so making and taking calls is impossible right now." I slapped my forehead almost comically.

Now Ashley!

"But when I get in contact with her I shall…err…let you know."

Oh for crying out loud, STOP TALKING!

"Alright," Charlie lowered the phone to the receiver slowly. To my relief it appeared he actually believed me. "Make sure that you do."

"I promise. She'll be in safe hands."

Please let what I'm saying be true. He'll shoot me if he finds out I'm lying.

"So, you're here. What are you supposed to do _while_ you're here?" he asked.

Good question. What exactly should I do while I'm stuck in a fictional world straight out of the mind of Stephenie Meyer? There was really only one thing coming to mind. It flashed like a big neon sign. My friend Sarah would never forgive me if I didn't at least try to meet the Cullens and the only way to do that would be…

"From what I know, we stay with the other person's family and see what school in another country is like. Forks high school is the local school here isn't it?"

…to enrol in Forks High school.

"Yeah it is, so school and home stay, is that it?"

"Pretty much although, if you're not comfortable with me staying here, I could always go somewhere else." Where Ashley? Where the hell are you going to go with no money, no friends and no clue?

"Oh no, I couldn't do that. The couch is free or considering Bella's not here at the moment, and you two are such _close_ friends," there was no mistaking the scepticism in his voice, "I don't think she'd mind if you stayed in her room."

Wow, stay in Bella Swan's bedroom. One word: awesome.

"That's really nice of you. I promise it'll be like I'm not here. All I need is some help enrolling in school and well…a bus timetable to get there in the mornings would be good too." Ah the problems with being fifteen and unable to drive.

"You can't drive?"

"No, I'm fifteen. In Australia we can't get our learner's licence until we turn sixteen. So it's buses for me."

"Okay," he said gruffly. "I'll drive you there tomorrow to help you with the paperwork. It shouldn't take too long and I don't think they'll be short on placement spots, this _is_ Forks."

"That's great. Thanks, I really appreciate it." And I did, I really, really, really…

"How long are you planning on staying here?" Don't.

"Umm…I'm not sure, until Bella gets back I guess." Or more likely when she stops acting like a cow and lets me back into my own non-fiction world.

"Does Bella's mom know about this, her big plan to do student exchange?" Good question. Now I need a good, not-going-to-screw-everything-up answer.

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so. Bella sort of kept this to herself. She didn't want to worry Renee if it turned out she didn't want to go." BINGO!

Charlie grunted a reply before shuffling around some papers on the table top.

"Alright then," I turned to leave and just as I hit the stairs he spoke again.

"As soon as she calls you let me know, okay?" the large amount of concern he'd kept hidden behind his gruff exterior showed through in the smallest bit. No matter what anyone thought or read about Charlie Swan, you couldn't deny that his daughter was one of the most important things in the world to him and that he loved her very much.

It must be very hard not knowing where she is, I thought. It reminded me of my family. Were the worried about me? What were they doing with Bella? What had Bella told them about her presence and my absence? Even better, what would happen when they realised who she was? God, they'd probably just dub her another one of my crazy fan friends and ask her politely to leave…or maybe, just maybe they'd believe it.

Believe it? Ashley it took you a cross-reality door, seeing multiple Twilight characters and ending up Bella Swan's bedroom for you to even _start_ to believe it was possible. Okay, no. Scratch that, this is a dream. Just one big, elaborate dream. Everyone's always said I have a creative imagination. Discussions of my dreams often produce the response: 'by any chance, have you taken any drugs in the last twenty-four hours?' This was just another one to add to the list. Then again, I'd never really had anything this vivid before.

"I will, I promise," I reassured him again as he turned away from me and walked over to the television. As I made my way upstairs I could hear the sounds of some sort of sport blaring through the living room. It wasn't exactly unusual for Charlie but like Bella, television sports aren't at all my thing. I was given the googly eyes last time I called an ARL football try a touchdown and asked what a duck was in cricket.

_Now_ what Ash, what do you do?

I trudged up to Bella's room and shut the door. As one last try, I swung the door open again only to be faced with the hallway. How was I going to get out of here?

Feeling slightly defeated and alone, I pulled myself under the covers of Bella's unslept in bed and fell asleep listening to the sounds of the rain.

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**A/N: Like I said, there are some flaws in facts and character but what can you do? This is the only way to make the story work, so I apologize. Also, very sorry for any grammar mistakes. Still, I hope you liked it and I'll start to really get into the story next time.**

_**Next time on Living in Meyer: Ashley enrols in Forks high school. There are more stories to make up, questions to answer and a whole lot more people to meet. What will happen when Ash takes over Bella's timetable and is faced with the gorgeous Edward Cullen? More importantly, can he read her mind? Ashley's sure in over her head, maybe it's a good thing she knows exactly how this particular story is supposed to play out. Good luck, she's going to need a lot of it.**_


	3. Admissions

**A/N: Okay, enrolling in school and making up crazy stories, it all sounds ridiculous. Let's be honest. I really hope I haven't insulted anyone else's intelligence in my attempts to ramble on about something that does not even resemble student exchange in the slightest. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except how this particular story has been written and the character Ashley herself. Everything else is a creation of Stephenie Meyer.**

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Living in Meyer

3. Admissions

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The next morning I awoke, expectantly, to grey clouds and minimal sunlight. Surprise, surprise. Typical Forks weather, of course.

I threw back the covers and looked down at my rumpled clothes. Ah, now that was going to be a problem. I couldn't walk around like this, besides, I needed a jacket. No way was I going outside without one. Taking another look at the sky, the idea of an umbrella also sounded like a good idea.

Sighing, I walked over to the desk where I'd sat my _Twilight_ book when I'd crossed over from my world. It looked a little sad sitting alone on the empty surface. Picking it up, I stashed it quickly under the bed. Charlie didn't look like one to snoop through his daughter's bedroom – at least, he'd never done it in the books. Still, the last thing I needed was anyone here finding my favourite novel. How would I explain that? There would be no words for it.

Now, to the clothing problem. Hmm…well, Bella had cause this whole mess so it seemed fair that my end of the deal involved being able to borrow some of her clothing. Hopefully she had some clothes baggy enough to fit me without looking absolutely absurd. Shoes on the other hand, I could already tell were out of the question. Lucky I had been wearing Ugg boots at the time I got stuck here. Even luckier, they suited to both outdoor and indoor use. Hopefully they'd survive the wet and cold conditions.

In her short time at Charlie's before popping through the double reality door, Bella had begun to unpack a couple of things but still had a fair way to go. I searched through her bags for a while, trying to find clothing that would fit me. It was a good thing Bella, like me, always bought clothing bigger than her size to allow for room and comfort. Eventually I found a few pairs of track pants, some long sleeve shirts which were a little short in the arms but would work fine and two roomy, warm jackets. I'd look like a marshmallow but they'd do. Charlie wouldn't know whose clothes they were; he hadn't seen Bella in such a long time.

Slipping the clothes on, I slipped my boots over my feet again and ran a brush through my hair. At least I didn't look too bad. Now that I had the attire, I could make an attempt at tackling the day.

Facing the door, I cleared my throat. "Okay Bella, I don't know if you can hear me but I'm going to say this anyway. You better get your butt back here now because today you're supposed to meet the guy of your dreams. Yes, he's a vampire but trust me, a million girls around the world, well my world, would love to be in your position." I paused as though expecting an answer.

"So knowing this little piece of information, don't you want to open the door for me and we can both go back to our own little lives? You living it and me reading about it?" I stood watching the door in silence. Nada.

"Fine, you have no idea what you're missing." I said with a shrug. As a side note I added, "I never really liked you much anyway."

Already this place was causing me to lose a grip on my sanity. I was talking to doors for crying out loud.

"Good morning Chief Swan," I said to Charlie once I'd entered the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, dressed in his police chief's uniform, reading a newspaper and a cup of coffee hovering below his mouth.

"Oh," he looked up startled. "'Morning, Ashley. It's Ashley right?" he asked, somewhat unsure.

"Yes, that's right."

"Err…" he looked awkward. From the books Charlie wasn't much of a talker but when he felt he had something important to say, he usually came out with it. Then again, having a stranger in your house and your daughter fly off to the other side of the world without telling you were more than likely to make anyone a bit on the quiet side.

"Cereal's in the pantry, bowls in the right cupboard," he told me simply.

"Thanks," I said as I collected what I needed for breakfast. Cutlery was easy to find, with it hanging on a hanger on the table top. I sat down on the other side of the table, keeping my eyes on my cornflakes and eating in silence.

"So," he began as I looked up. "Heard anything from Bella yet?"

I shook my head. He looked disappointed. This was the only conversation we had during my entire meal. I didn't mind, the silence was kind of nice. If he didn't ask me anything, I wouldn't have to make up any more lies. So far Charlie had been pretty nice to me. I didn't want to have to tell him stories in return.

"All done?" he asked as soon as I finished my bowl. I nodded as he took the utensils and bowl, placing them on the sink. Maybe I should pitch in later like Bella does in the book. Charlie's putting up with me for whoever knows how long, I may as well do the washing up. Cooking and cleaning aren't really my strong points but with detergent and a scrubbing brush, washing dishes is something pretty much anyone can do.

"I'll meet you out the front in a few minutes," he told me, folding his newspaper up and putting his mug on the sink beside my bowl. He left the room hurriedly.

I got to my feet and headed back upstairs. In the bathroom I found a pack of three new toothbrushes ready for use, Charlie had clearly thought of everything concerning Bella's extended stay. I opened the packet and picked one out.

After brushing my teeth and packing a back pack with a couple of odds and ends I rustled up from inside Bella's bags, I walked out the front of the house and towards the police cruiser. The inside of the car was warm which was a happy surprise.

The ride was quick, me spending a large part of it staring out the wound up window. Bella had been right when she'd described Forks as being green. It was very green, exactly like an alien planet. And wet. Lovely…

Forks high school was quite similar to how I'd always pictured it and slightly different from how it had been created in the movie. I ignored the stares of curious students as Charlie and I walked towards the school office.

I recognised Mrs Cope from her name tag. She seemed nice enough but I couldn't help but smile when I thought about the effect Edward's charms would have on her later when he attempted to change classes. Wait, with Bella not here, would he even need to change classes? The possibilities were mindboggling.

"Chief Swan, good morning." Mrs Cope shot him a bright smile before turning her gaze to me. "Is this Isabella? We've been expecting you."

Hmm…I could see where she would make the mistake. Both Charlie and I shared similar coloured brown hair and eyes.

"Uh no, this is her friend Ashley. Bella decided she wanted to have a go at student exchange in Australia all of a sudden." Charlie explained, sounding a little bitter towards the end. I couldn't exactly blame him. Maybe we could start an 'I'm annoyed with Bella' club.

"That sounds interesting." Mrs Cope's smile strained as she tried not to show just how odd she clearly thought this idea sounded.

"So I've got Ashley staying here with me for a while in her place."

"Really? So I guess that means you'll be enrolling here during your trip, am I right?"

"That's the plan." I smiled back weakly. If this whole thing worked it would be a miracle. Parental signatures were bound to be needed for this kind of thing.

"Do you have any forms, transcripts, report cards, anything of that sort?"

"Um…not really, the airline lost my luggage so I haven't got anything with me. Last time I fly an airline other than Qantas," I joked. No-one laughed. Oh well, it'd sucked anyway.

"That's a teensy bit of a problem." She began typing into a computer. "How long do you plan to stay here?"

God, how do I know? I might be stuck here forever for all I know. "I'm not sure. Bella didn't make it clear how long she wanted to do the swap for. I'm still waiting for her to answer my calls." Yes, more literal calls than phone calls. Actual yell across a field, or in this case at a door, calls.

Both Charlie and Mrs Cope's faces fell at this comment. No forms or transcripts, no luggage, not even time stay dates confirmed, even I had to admit it sounded really bad. I wonder why that is?

"The airline lost all stuff, Bella just took off without giving me any details and now I haven't even got the right forms to do this whole thing properly. What am I going to do?" I made a sad face and sunk down into the closest chair. Maybe going for the dramatic would work here but I doubted they could just let me in without any of the important stuff.

"Didn't you organise this exchange with a proper student exchange company?"

I looked up, "No, the rates were too expensive. Bella and I decided that because we knew each other already, if we organised it ourselves it would be fine," I explained.

"Oh, that explains why this is so unorganised."

I smiled weakly, "Yes, that's me, unorganised."

That is a little untrue. If I were ever to do a student exchange program, not that I'd do it after this whole shenanigan, I would use a proper company and have everything planned out _completely_. It sucks having to insult my intelligence and allow others to do the same but really, I'd rather they thought I was a ditz than a nut job.

Bella, when I get my hands on you I swear to god….

"Hmm…you aren't really planning to enrol here permanently, only a couple of weeks so that makes things a little simpler. Alright, all you need to do is fax or e-mail scanned copies of these documents home and get your parents to sign them as well as a member from your host family, in other words Charlie. It'll be quite a simple process from then on. If you want to experience Bella's lifestyle, you'll have to take her classes. Seeing how she's not here to participate in them, I don't see why you can't."

"Really?" My expression brightened immensely as this prospect.

"Once you bring in those forms I'll print you out a copy of Bella's timetable, give you a teachers' signature attendance sheet and you can start class." She handed me the forms which I took gratefully.

"Thank you," I said. On the inside, I was starting to worry about just how I'd get those parental signatures. I guessed it was time for me to go back and have another pointless conversation with Bella's bedroom door.

"Not a problem dear, you come back when you get those forms signed." She waved us off as we walked in silence back to the car. I had expected him to make a comment about how my lack of luggage included a different set of clothing from yesterday but he didn't. Perhaps he didn't really want to know.

We began the drive back to the house again without speaking but Charlie seemed to remember something he'd needed to tell me.

"I picked up that bus timetable you wanted." He handed me a small card out of the glove box and then refocused his gaze on the road ahead.

"Thank you so much for everything that you've done for me Chief Swan. I really do appreciate it." I really did. Without him, I would have been out on my ass with nowhere to go and no access to the portal that brought me here.

Charlie looked awkward at this sudden expression of emotion. "Well, don't worry about it. And…" he paused.

I looked up from my hands. "Hmm?"

"Call me Charlie."

"Okay, Bella. This time I really need you to help me out. You won't let me back into my world, so can you at least make life easier for me in yours?" I paced back and forth in front of the closed door. "Please, it's all I'm asking. Make up a story, tell the truth, whatever. Just get my parents to sign these forms." Again, no response.

"Alright, let's see how this goes." I muttered, kneeling down and shoving both Charlie's and my blue signatures under the door.

Standing up, I took a deep breath before gripping the door knob.

The moment of truth, I thought.

Exhaling, I swung the door open. Looking down at the hallway floor, a large part of me was expecting to see the forms I'd just pushed under the door come out the other side. The way they would in a logical world.

Instead I found myself staring at empty floor.

They were gone.

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**A/N: Okay, I know you're probably getting impatient waiting for a little character we all know as Edward Cullen. Don't worry, he'll make an appearance very soon. **

_**Next time on Living in Meyer: Will Bella get Ashley's forms signed? How will Ashley go in her attempts to read a Forks bus timetable for the first time? And finally, the **_**real **_**moment of truth, meeting Edward Cullen.**_


	4. First Day

**Disclaimer: Not my characters, settings and back story, that all belongs to the creative mind of Stephenie Meyer. The concept belongs to whoever created Lost in Austen but everything else, pure me.**

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**LIVING IN MEYER**

**4. First Day**

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Oh my god. It worked. The stupid bloody forms got through under the door. I felt like cheering but then had to remind myself that the process was only half way finished. If getting the forms into my bedroom in the first place was hard, actually getting them signed would be terrible. As if my parents would just sign any random document pushed under their nose. They'll look through it and then they'll ask questions. More so, will Bella even give the documents to my mum and dad? I wondered about what Bella was up to back home. What excuse had she settled on to explain the reason for her being there? Oh well, it's out of my hands unless I can find a way to get back to reality.

I paced back and forth the bedroom uselessly as the time dragged on. The forms did not return and the horrible weather refused to cease. Eventually I decided to spend some time digging through more of Bella's stuff. As far as I could recollect, Bella had always been a big reader, very much like myself.

"Ah ha," I said as I found her stash. And clearly by the amount of books in her bag, Bella loved books too. I wasn't willing to tackle _Wuthering Heights_. The film version we'd been forced to watch in English last year had definitely put me off that one but I couldn't see why I shouldn't give another Jane Austen book ago. I'd already read Pride and Prejudice one and a half times (The half was from a time when I bought a new book right in the middle of it and lost interest, dying to read the new novel), so I flicked through the compilation until I reached _Sense and Sensibility_.

The house was quiet, mostly because Charlie had already departed for the police station for the afternoon. He'd felt a bit uneasy about leaving a stranger in his house alone but realised he didn't really have much of a choice. Finally, the bedroom grew darker and I decided that maybe I should give cooking dinner ago. I'm by no means a master chef but pasta and pre-made sauce is perfectly within my limits. Then again, Charlie is even less of a cook than I am. So if the choice comes down to him or me, definitely me.

On a search through the pantry cupboards and fridge, I could understand why Bella had felt the need to shop for groceries on arrival. The food in the house was scarce in the extreme but lucky for me there was half a packet of pasta, some ham, cheese and a few herbs on a dingy rack. I cooked the pasta and mixed a few things into melted cheese to create some sort of cheese sauce. With the addition of a few herbs, it didn't look too bad at all. Just like what I made myself for lunch on occasion at home, not that I do much cooking at home. That's usually my mum's field of expertise. She makes pretty amazing desserts.

"Is that pasta?" Charlie's voice called out as the front door closed behind him. He hung his belt and gun up on the hook and headed into the kitchen. He looked surprised that the table had been already set with two bowls of pasta sitting in place. Obviously he wasn't use to being cooked for, let alone by strange guests. He'd have to get use to that. Bella did all the food prep for the household once she moved to Forks.

"Yeah, I decided that it wasn't fair come here with no warning and just hang around the house while you did everything. So, I thought I'd help out a bit. I made dinner and if you'd like I'll do the washing up later." Gosh, my parents would be proud, I'm usually so lazy about these things.

Charlie looked dumbfounded as he sat himself down at the table. "That's nice of you but you're the guest and…"

I cut him off, "No, really. I want to do it," I assured him.

He looked at me for a moment before it hit him that I was serious. His face smoothed out and he nodded. Picking up the fork, he dug it into the bowl and began eating. I sat down in front of my place and started on my dish as well. Not amazing but decent enough not to complain.

"Did you manage to send those forms off?" he asked out of the blue.

"Yeah, I did. It was easier than I thought it would be. They should be back any day now." Hopefully sooner rather than later.

"Nice job with the pasta," was the last thing he said to me before we both departed for bed for the evening.

The following morning the first thing I saw on opening my eyelids was the sight of a large white envelope lying on the bedroom floor. Printed on the front in disjointed but familiar script were the words "Ashley Gill – Student Exchange Forms" in Bella's writing.

I swung myself out of bed and flipped open the envelope, pulling out the forms. There it was on both page one and two, my father's signature. How Bella had managed to pull that one off, I had no idea. All I knew was that today I was going to Forks High school.

"Okay, I need the seven-forty bus to Forks High…which I catch here," I thought aloud as I ran my finger down the columns of the bus timetable Charlie had picked up for me at the school office. I knew where I had to be and I had everything set for my first day. Funny considering I avoid buses at home. God, if only I could drive to school like Bella, everything would be so much easier.

I walked slowly down the street, holding an umbrella over my head. It wasn't technically raining but the sky looked menacing and I wasn't taking any chances after seeing the last two days' weather conditions. Charlie had already left by the time I'd woken up this morning and I hadn't wasted any time getting breakfast and packing a bag. I didn't have a clue how long this whole bus ordeal would take.

Standing at the small but obscure stop, in other words a standalone sign which read school bus, I waited until, at last, the tiny but comfy mini bus pulled up and opened its doors. I paid the small fair made necessary by my lack of school student status at the present time with some loose change from Bella's school bag, and took a seat on the right hand side.

Great, a perfect view of the spongy green world I'm currently residing in. The lack of housing and feelings of being in suburbia I was so used to experiencing living in Sydney were difficult to get used to.

The trip was quick and it had just begun to drizzle by the time I arrived. The bus parked just outside the school car park, leaving me to walk the distance to the building blocks under the spitting sky. I walked briskly, holding my umbrella high over my head so that it didn't obscure my vision of the place.

Cars of many different makes and colours were scattered across the asphalt, including a few familiar ones I knew from descriptions in the book. I'm not an expert on cars but if they're written about in my favourite novel, I'll remember.

To my right was a large blue van, Tyler's van. The one that almost squished Bella in the story but missed as a result of direct intervention by Edward.

Then I saw it, the one car which really did stand out in the lot. Not because I knew who it belonged to but as Bella had said, it looked a whole lot more expensive than the others here. It was a Volvo. Edward's silver Volvo.

I felt my features twist into a dizzy but ecstatic grin as I passed its row and headed inside the school office.

Mrs Cope looked surprised to see me back so soon but like Charlie seemed to be just 'going with it'. "Hello Mrs. Cope," I said brightly, pulling out the envelope which I had squished into my borrowed school bag. "I got those forms signed just like you asked, here." I handed her the envelope, ignoring her extremely confused expression and watched as she flicked through the small booklet, locating the correct signatures.

"Alright, now that that's all sorted out, here's a map of the school and a teacher sign in sheet. I need you to take this to each of your teachers and get them to sign next to their name. At the end of the day, bring it back here and hand it in to me," she explained.

I nodded. "Now, let me just print off the timetable for you. I would have printed it off but I just didn't expect you to be back so soon."

"That's okay, I understand."

I waited patiently as the slow printer pressed out what would have been Bella's new schedule but had now become mine. Mrs Cope highlighted the way to each class for me on the map – it wasn't a big school – and gave me a set of bell times. She told me that normally students purchased their lunch in the cafeteria but bringing a packed lunch was perfectly optional – which is what I had chosen to do. She wished me good luck and said that she'd see me at the end of the day.

Taking my little stack of paper I left the warm office and made my way out into the open area between buildings. Scrutinising my timetable and map, I found that I had English up first but the map wasn't exactly doing me many favours. Where was an Eric or a Mike when you needed one?

"Hi!" I chipper voice, interrupted my thoughts as I stood inside the entrance of block A. I looked up and found myself face to face with a tall, thin boy with black hair, suffering from acne. What do you know? Eric. Ask and you shall receive.

"Hey," I said.

"You must be Isabella Swan, I'm Eric." He held out his hand. I shook it before correcting him.

"Actually, she prefers Bella but no, my name's Ashley. I'm a friend of Bella's. I'm here on student exchange from Australia."

"Oh really, Student exchange? Cool." He seemed excited by the idea which was a point in his favour as far as I was concerned. "How long are you going to be here?" he asked.

"Umm…a little while, I don't know. It depends on how well it goes." Or how long it takes me to get the stupid bedroom door to let something bigger than documents through.

"Okay. What do you have first?"

"English," I told him as he scanned my timetable. His smile widened. Oh that's right, Eric's in Bella's English class. Though, considering that I'm no Bella, I have no idea why this fact was so exciting to him. Must be the whole 'new toy' thing.

"You're in my class. Here, I'll show you where you need to go." I couldn't help but feel appreciative to Eric in this situation. Direction had never been my strong point. It had taken me three years to work out the route from home to my high school.

"Thanks."

I followed Eric to English. Mr Mason, the teacher, seemed like an okay sort of guy. He didn't ask me about Bella's absence and where I was from but I discovered later that this was because Mrs Cope had written a note on top of the teacher sign in sheet. I would have to thank her for that. Explaining the same story over and over again would become a real pain in the ass.

I sat beside Eric during the lesson, ignoring his and the rest of the room's curious glances at me every time the teacher looked away. It was enough to make anyone think that they were behind the glass at the zoo.

Apart from this, at least I found that I still loved English no matter what country I was studying it in. Sure, I'd have to read a few books to catch up but I'd always been a fast reader.

When the bell rang I was a little surprised. Lessons here appeared to be relatively short compared to back home. It was probably because they had so many periods in one day. Where I went to school back home, we only had four periods a day and each went for at least an hour and ten minutes.

"So, what next?" Eric asked.

"Err….trigonometry? Wow, you guys have an entire subject just for trig?" I asked. God, and I thought Maths at home was bad.

Eric looked at me oddly, "Yeah, how do schools in Australia do it?"

"Well, we have one subject for mathematics and throughout the year we go through a variety of different topics, so half of one term we may do trigonometry another we might be doing algebra or calculus."

Eric looked as though he liked this idea better. "That sounds good. Anything that means less math during the week is fine by me."

"Then again, some students choose not to do mathematics for their HSC courses at all. I did because I think it's important, as do my parents." I explained.

"HSC?" the confused look returned.

Was I really going to have to explain everything about the NSW school system? I felt like moaning. It was complicated enough for those who were actually doing it to understand.

"The HSC is the set of exams that we do at the end of our last year of school. It stands for Higher School Certificate. It gives you a rank within the state, your ATAR, which allows you to get into university."

"Wow, sounds big."

"Yeah, I have to do well considering that I want to go to university or college as you guys call it here. The HSC is similar to your SATs but different if that makes sense?"

"Okay, yeah it does. Well, anyway. I have to get to class now, I'll see you at lunch?" he had attempted to sound casual about it but I could tell that there was more hope behind the little question that he was letting on.

"Sure, and thanks for helping me out earlier," I told him.

"No problem," he said, departing in the opposite direction.

Finding my next few classes wasn't very difficult now that I knew where I was. Other students always seemed to be going in my direction meaning that the map fell into disuse quite quickly.

During trig I made the acquaintance of another character I knew very well, Jessica Stanley. Through it all, I couldn't help but wonder about the fact that even though I wasn't Bella and that it was a day later than Bella should have started school, I still managed to meet the same people she would have if she'd been here. Maybe it was the whole new girl thing or maybe it was because they all appeared to like my accent, not that I could recognise I had one.

Mr Varner signed my slip quickly and then forced me to introduce myself to the class. I settled for the basics, my name, my age, what I was doing here and where I was from. He then directed me down the room to an open seat, one by Jessica as it happened. Jess began talking to me the moment the teacher left the room. She didn't make the same mistake Eric had about who I was but then again, Eric hadn't had the luxury of a whole up front introduction. Even though I wasn't who she was expecting, I was new and she was jumping at any chance to have some change around the place.

"So you're from Australia? That's so cool. Do you have like pet kangaroos and stuff?" she asked. I felt like smacking her in the head. Jessica, you're American, do you have pet squirrels and stuff? Of course we don't have pet kangaroos!

"Ah no, Kangaroos are wild animals. We have the pretty much the same pets as you guys have here." I told her, trying to keep the annoyance at her stupid comment out of my voice.

"Oh, okay." The comment didn't faze her. She merely continued talking at every opportunity with little prompting by me. I really hate people like that. The sound of the bell didn't really do much in the way of deterring her. I couldn't help but notice that she was quite a bit shorter than me but I was use to that. Most of my friends back home were about her height. I had a few more classes before the bell rang for lunch. Jessica walked with me to the cafeteria and steered me towards a table from which Eric was waving at me.

I may have been following Jessica and answering questions from various people but my mind was extremely far away from it all because in a few minutes I would see the Cullens for the first time. The Cullens, in the flesh, in real life. I could hardly believe it.

"So how do you like the states so far, Ashley?" Eric asked me in between bites of my home made sandwich.

I swallowed the sandwich bite in an enormous gulp before answering. "It's good, a little different but how I'd imagined it would be."

It was then that I saw them. Looking past Eric and the others on his side of the table, I felt almost every pair of eyes around the room dart towards them as they entered.

Enter stage right, the Cullen Family.

My breath held in my chest as I watched them make their way to the table. Each sat down with a tray of food which I knew none of them had any intention of touching.

There was Emmett, big and muscular looking with his dark curly hair and huge grinning face. Beside him, looking possessive could only be Rosalie. Her description from the novel had been an understatement and even Nikki Reed in her portrayal of her in the movie could not match this level of beauty. Her figure was gorgeous and curved in all the right places while her hair fell in golden waves to the middle of her back.

Sitting stiffly across from her was Jasper, blonde, a little leaner than Emmett but still tall and obviously muscular. Prancing to the seat beside him like the most beautiful ballet dancer in the world was clearly Alice. She truly was the sweetest looking girl to anyone looking at her exterior but little did they know that beneath it lay the pushy and stubborn, party planning future seer my friend Sarah was so obsessed with.

Then, seeing no other direction for my eyes to go, they zeroed in on him. Edward. His bronze hair was untidy but still looked amazing while his features were both boyish and extremely beautiful. Robert Pattinson may have been a good looking guy but there was no real life actor who could ever dream to come close to this visual magnificence.

"Hmm?" I mumbled, realising that someone was talking to me. I definitely heard the sigh that followed. It was then that Edward Cullen looked my way. The suddenness of his look made me drop my own gaze, drawing my attention back to Jessica.

"That's Edward, Alice and Emmett Cullen and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They all live together with Dr Cullen and his wife," Jessica told me. Of course, I already knew all this but it would be extremely weird if I started randomly popping out facts about people I hadn't even met yet.

"They're very nice looking." I settled for, stealing lines from the book.

"Yes! They're all _together_ though- Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they_ live _together." I fought the urge to gasp and cry "Oooo, small town scandal!" or more realistically, roll my eyes.

I looked up again; Edward was still staring, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. He was listening for sure. Wait! I was shocked that this thought hadn't crossed my mind before now. Could he read my mind? Was he listening in on everything I was saying and wondering who in the world I was and how I knew what he and his family were? Oh god. What am I going to do? I began to panic.

Edward looked away, returning to his food tray where he began picking a bagel to pieces with his beautiful, pianist hands. I play the piano but my hands aren't nearly as amazing but considering I'm human, it's not that much of a surprise.

Okay, there was only one way to see if he truly could read my mind. I didn't want to do it and find out for sure but I had to know. Taking a deep breath, I directed my thoughts towards him.

_Edward, if you can hear what I'm thinking I want you to look at me now._

Holding my breath again, I sat frozen as Edward slowly arched his neck and turned his gaze back to me. Oh my god. What in the world am I going to do? He can hear me. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Edward subtly turned his head again back to his brothers and sisters.

Still not wanting to believe it myself I tried again, just to be sure.

_Okay, if you can hear me Edward, I know this must be frustrating you but I really have to know. If you can read my thoughts, I want you to look at me from across the room just one more time._

I waited, patiently as the seconds went by but Edward's eyes remained fixed on his bagel. I couldn't help but smile. He couldn't hear me! I was okay! Goodness that was a relief, I didn't know what I would have done if he'd been able to read me. The last look had obviously been a coincidence. He'd probably heard something Jessica thought or somebody else had said about him and looked my way.

Relief set in as I went back to conversation with Jessica.

"That's Edward right?" I asked, gesturing towards the Cullen table. Now finished with the bagel, Edward was listening to whatever it was Emmett was saying.

"Uh huh, he's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him."

"I wasn't going to." I resisted the urge to laugh at her obvious sense of rejection. He'd turned her down at some point or another, I was sure of it.

Edward looked our way again, this time his expression slightly frustrated as though something wasn't going the way it was planned. This was understandable; he couldn't understand why he couldn't read my thoughts. If I had to make a guess why, it would have to be that I wasn't from the fictional world. In this time and place I technically didn't exist. I'd never even been born. I had no brain waves able to be read by him.

Finally the bell rang, time for…biology? Wow, bio? I couldn't believe it. It was time to get up close and personal with Edward and well, the stages of mitosis.

A girl with brown hair and glasses approached me and introduced herself as Angela, as if I wouldn't already know, saying that she had biology II as well. She offered to show me where to go but other than that was very quiet. The complete opposite of Jessica as expected.

Slowly we made our way into the biology part of the building. I entered the room and handed Mr Banner my slip, trying to keep my eyes off the figure I most wanted to look at. Also as expected, the only free seat in the room was beside him.

Breathing in slowly, I made my way up the aisle and took my seat. Ready to face the cold stare I knew would await me the moment I looked up.

Pushing myself to do it, I raised my eyes and instead, was faced with two large pools of beautiful, liquid gold.

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**A/N: I know, bad place to leave it but the chapter was getting a little long for my liking. So, until next time this is as far as it goes. **

_**Next time on Living in Meyer: Ashley speaks to Edward Cullen for the first time and the story starts to get into full swing. What will happen on those particular snowy days at Forks High? And more importantly, will events still play out the way they're supposed to without the story's most important character? Find out next time.**_


	5. Edward Cullen

**Disclaimer: I don't own the idea, characters, back story etc. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and whoever created Lost in Austen.**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys, keep them coming. I love hearing from everyone and just so you know, you've all got me writing faster than I have ever wrote before. What is it? Almost a chapter a day? Okay, without further a due, here is the next chapter and finally a conversation with Edward Cullen. ****Enjoy.**

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Gold eyes, not black. How could that be? Edward was supposed to have eyes dark from hunger on Bella's first day of school. Then it hit me. This wasn't Bella's first day of school; this was actually the day after.

I wanted to laugh this was so ironic. If Bella had just started school one day later Edward would have been perfectly fed and probably would have been a little less standoffish towards her. Sure, it would have been a shock not hearing her thoughts or smelling her beautiful scent but at least he wouldn't have been so _very_ tempted.

Mr. Banner chose this moment to misplace some of his information required for the lesson and had now engaged in attempting to find it on his paper and binder covered desk.

"Hello," his voice was smooth, musical. I looked up, startled, my hand flinching on the desk.

He was smiling, that dazzling, crooked smile that Bella had always described him wearing. No wonder she always found it so hard to speak normally or breathe around him.

"I'm Edward Cullen. From what I hear Isabella Swan is visiting Australia so you must be her friend, Ashley Gill." He knew my name, Edward Cullen knew my name. Oh god Ashley. Get a grip. He's a fictional character and this is wrong. Bella should be here, not you.

"Err…hi. How do you know my name?" Déjà vu much?

He laughed that melodic laugh I'd imagined whenever I'd read the book. Now I was experiencing a major déjà vu moment.

"Forks is a small town, even the smallest of things cause people to talk. Word travels fast." He told me. Oh, stupid question. He's probably heard things by picking information out of the minds of teachers and other students that I'd spoken to today. Not that he'd think I was worth the trouble or anything.

"Oh, okay." I said stupidly, not knowing what else I could say in this situation.

"What part of Australia are you from?" he asked, dispelling the feeling of awkwardness that had begun to fall on me.

"Sydney, I've lived there my whole life." I sighed sadly, thinking of how much I missed the familiar streets, accents, people and weather there. More so, I missed my family and I'd only been here two or so days.

He picked up on the small twinge in my voice, not letting the chance to get some insight on my unreadable mind to pass him by. "You sound homesick." He commented.

I frowned. "A little I guess, I mean I've only been here two days. It's a little early to be homesick don't you think?"

He looked sympathetic. "Everyone is different. You have flown out here to a completely different country, with a new school system and new people. It's understandable that you would be missing home."

Okay, enough of this sharing intimate feelings with someone you've just met. "Well, yeah." The words were short but the tone showed that I wanted the subject dropped. He willingly obliged. Instead he changed the subject but ever so slightly.

"I've visited Australia a few times, Sydney twice. It's a nice place. I wouldn't mind going back there again someday." He told me.

The conversation was interrupted by the triumphant sound of Mr. Banner who had finally recovered his notes. He addressed the class and turned our attention back to the lesson at hand. I sat through the lesson half listening as Mr. Banner drew diagrams and wrote notes up on the board. Towards the end he handed us a couple of samples and a microscope, asking us to draw labelled diagrams of the cell specimens on each slide.

I shared the microscope with Edward easily, this because with his eye sight being so good and having an excellent memory Edward basically only needed one glance of the slide before being able to draw it with perfect accuracy. Me, on the other hand, I needed a little bit more time.

Edward finished his diagrams quickly and decided to spend his spare time carefully watching me complete mine. As I usually did with all my drawings, I drew carefully and with more detail than was required. What can I say? I'm more an artistic drawer than a scientific one.

"You're very good with a pencil." He commented as I finished my last diagram.

I looked down at my paper blankly and shrugged. "They're just cell diagrams, not exactly anything extravagant."

"Yes but it's more in the way you attempt to get every shape the way you've seen it, make it realistic. It makes me wonder what exactly you could do with something more challenging."

"You mean more challenging than rows microscopic blobs?" I joked.

He smiled, "Exactly."

We stayed silent for a moment, listening to the scratching of other student's pencils as they completely their own drawings. Finally I spoke, "I haven't really done any serious sketching for a while."

Edward looked frustrated. He clearly hated having to ask verbally to get the information he wanted. "Why is that?"

"I don't know, I've been busy or maybe it's just because I've gotten lazy. I don't even seem to read too much these days. It's kind of sad really."

"You like to read?" he asked.

I brightened up at this question, "I love to read." I told him truthfully. I found myself relaxing. It was probably the first conversation I'd had with someone here in which I didn't have to lie.

"What sort of material do you like?"

I thought carefully, "I like a little bit of everything. I read mysteries, fantasy, chick lit, basically everything but non-fiction. Although, my favourite stories are probably ones about…" I stopped myself as I remembered who exactly I was talking to. Finishing that sentence wouldn't be such a good idea.

"About what?" he urged, curious.

Oh well, he'd asked. "Vampires."

If this answer had worried or surprised him, his expression didn't show it. If there was one thing Edward was good at it, it was definitely hiding his emotions to people that he didn't want to see them.

I continued on, trying to make it sound less worthy of note. "and werewolves and magic, you know? Mythical and supernatural stuff."

"Really, do you have a favourite?" he continued.

Should I say it? Or shouldn't I? Just do it, it's not like he'll know what it is. "It's a novel called Twilight by Stephenie Meyer."

He frowned, searching through his memory. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid I've never heard of that particular novel before."

I laughed, "Don't worry. It's all the rage where I come from."

"Maybe I'll look it up when I get the chance." He said quietly.

"Okay," But I doubt you'll find it considering that I doubt it exists here.

Mr. Banner interrupted setting home-work and walking around the room to check that we'd actually done the work.

He looked down at my diagrams and smiled. "Well done Miss Gill. Just so I'm aware, what have you already done in biology at school back in Australia? You _do _do biology don't you?"

"Yes I do. I do both biology and chemistry back home." I confirmed. Science was one thing that I actually at most times understood. "Hmm…we've done photosynthesis, diffusion, osmosis, surface area to volume ratio, organelles and cell structure, and we were moving on to the digestive system before our school holidays began."

"Alright, that sounds fine. Recently we've been working on mitosis and meiosis but it sounds as though you're fully capable of catching up by looking at your work from today. If you're confused about anything you may ask me or Mr. Cullen always knows what he's doing."

"Thanks, I will." I said as he moved away to begin complaining about the work of one of the students across the aisle from me. Edward used this opportunity to ask another question he couldn't simply pick from my head.

"What made you want to participate in the student exchange program?" Good question.

"Well, it hadn't really crossed my mind until Bella came in contact with me." It wasn't a lie.

"Did she convince you to come here?"

"It was more in her actions then her words." Yeah, like locking me out of my room.

"How do you mean?" he frowned in frustration. Sorry Edward, I'm trying to explain this without raving about a two reality door and that you're all fictional characters. Give me a break.

"It's difficult to explain."

He smiled, "I'm sure I can keep up."

Please don't make me lie to you Edward, please.

It was then that the end of class bell rang, sending students springing from their seats and the sounds of voices and rustling paper echoing through the room. By the time I'd looked up from clearing my desk, Edward was already gone.

Saved by the bell, literally.

"Cullen sure rushed out of here fast." A voice called from behind me. I spun around on my heel almost dropping my bag as I swung it up over my shoulder.

The speaker behind the voice was a boy. He was blonde, round faced and had the puppy dog eyes of a golden retriever.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"He's a weird guy Edward. Anyway, you're Ashley right?" If I had to take a guess I'd say he was… "I'm Mike, Mike Newton." What are the odds?

He shook my hand like we were at some sort of formal event, not standing in a bio classroom.

"That's me; it's nice to meet you Mike." I told him, great, another character to check off my: to meet list.

"Wow, I like your accent." He blurted out.

I raised an eyebrow, Americans and accents, who knew? I mean, I have a thing for British accents but that's a completely different story. "Err…thanks. I think."

"So what's your last class for the day?" he asked me warmly.

"Umm…P.E or is it Gym here in the states?"

"Nice job with the terminology and I have gym as well. I'll show you where to go." Forks high school students in one word, helpful.

"Thank you," I said following him out the door. Mike was like all the other kids I'd met today, they were all about asking questions. How's it different where you're from? What's school like? Do you own your own Koala? That sort of thing.

Resist the urge to eye roll, I told myself as I answered question after question.

"Here we are, I'll talk to you soon." Mike headed towards the boys change rooms while I went inside the girls. I felt like moaning or crying, or both.

Back home, once we reached year eleven we chose the subjects we wanted to do except for English, everyone is forced to do English but the student chooses the level they want to do. Because of this, I was happily able to drop both Sport and P.E once I began this year. No _forced_ physical activity hurrah! Now here I was, stuck doing it all over again. Maybe Bella and I were similar in more ways than one.

Last time I did school sport I managed to hit myself in the head with my tennis racquet, _twice_ and P.E? I got hit in the head with the volley ball.

I was lent a pair of shorts and a t-shirt by the sports coach and then sent out onto the court to play, what do you know? Volleyball. Somebody save me!

Luckily enough Mike offered to be on a team with me but it didn't take him long to realise that there was no hope of winning this specific sport together. Put me on a netball court, make me wear a tae-kwon-do uniform, attach skis to my feet or stick me in a swimming pool and I'm perfectly capable, anything else and I fail horribly.

For the rest of the lesson I attempted to hit, dig and dodge but eventually just left Mike to do the work. He obviously didn't mind seeing how he was still speaking to me after class.

When the bell rang a small part of me was happy to finish my first day. I was tired, starting to smell damp and had to run quickly to make the bus.

On my way through I caught sight of that familiar silver Volvo, no longer in park and slowly being driven out the exit of the car park.

I sat quietly as the bus dropped several students off at various stations within about a minute of each other.

The Swan residence was as silent as it had been when I'd left that morning but I didn't mind, the quiet was reassuring and I found the lack of firing questions a relief.

Charlie brought home a couple of microwave dinners for tonight's meal, which we easily zapped up. He asked me about my first day to which I replied it was fine. He didn't ask for any other information. I showered, read a little and then eventually wrapped myself up in Bella's bed covers before falling slowly to sleep.

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**A/N: Remember to review. And just a quick note, a few of you asked about whether Edward could read Ashley's mind. Just to clear this up to anyone else wondering, if you look through the previous chapter I did actually explain this. That he looked her way the first time she asked him mentally to do so was mere coincidence. He cannot hear her thoughts which is why he did not look when she asked him mentally the second time. Okay, hope that is all cleared up. **

_**Next time on Living in Meyer:**__** Ashley has started to think that the story is changing but what will she do when Edward disappears, a day later than in the novel, but still just as the original story describes? What did she do wrong?**_

_**And when the snow starts to fall what will happen when she is put in the path of not a slipping van, but an out of control school bus?**_

_**Next time.**_


	6. Snow

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, concepts and parts of the storyline. The idea belongs to the person who created Lost in Austen.**

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The next day played out very much like the one before it except for a few small changes. I ate toast instead of cereal, I still visited the office but this time in order to return the teacher sign in form I should have returned yesterday afternoon but had forgotten (she was lucky I remembered it at all, my memory is terrible) and lastly, Edward wasn't at school.

The weather was still overcast, windy and cold, not a ray of sunshine in sight yet I couldn't see him anywhere. I remembered that this was as it should be, he was supposed to be away from school until the following Monday but I wasn't Bella. I didn't smell like the most wonderful thing in the world, he hadn't been hungry when we'd met and he'd talked to me friendlily enough. So where was the problem? Why be away from school? It puzzled me but each day I travelled to school on the bus in the horrible weather and every day I was faced with the sight of an empty lunchroom chair or biology stool. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't help but feel a large ocean of disappointment at the pit of my stomach.

Bella's future friends continued to expect me to sit with them at lunch, walked me to class and hung on every word I said as thought it were the Gettysburg address. It's always nice to feel wanted but feeling suffocated is another story.

As much as I tried to deny and ignore it, both Eric and Mike were as with Bella in the book competing for my attention like two little infatuated puppies, very cute but a little frustrating. Why any boy in his right mind would even look my way with those emotions running through his brain was beyond me. I'm not exactly anyone's idea of Giselle Bundchen.

I had finished up reading Sense and Sensibility and was rapidly working my way through Wuthering Heights. After originally deciding not to read it I'd found that it was unfortunately part of the required English curriculum here. To sum the story up in one word: confusing.

On Thursday afternoon, after school I made the trek with my handy umbrella to the closest Thrifty store. My Twilight novel had made it easy to find the food money jar Charlie left lying around the house and the amount of empty space in the fridge and pantry proved just how dire picking up groceries was. I was surprised we'd had food for dinner over the last few nights at all. No wonder Bella always took care of the food household matters or more household matters in _general_. Very soon I would have to learn how exactly to use Charlie's washing machine. Charlie never seemed to be home anyway, not that I minded.

The walk was a little longer than expected and getting directions was a real pain but eventually I found it and was able to pick up everything I needed. On the way out of the store I was greeted by a happy looking Mike.

"Ashley! Hi!" he yelled from across the street.

I looked up from the ground which I felt as though I was being weighed down towards by the shopping bags in my hands. I'm not weak but boy were these heavy.

"Mike, hey." I returned the greeting as he crossed the road.

"Oh, let me help you." He took a few of the bags out of my full hands and stood staring at me. The moment felt awkward but by the look on his face I didn't think the feeling was mutual.

"Can I help get them to your car or something?" he offered.

I shook my head. "In Australia getting a driver's licence is very different to here and besides, even if I did have one I wouldn't have a vehicle considering that I don't live here."

"Right, so how _did_ you get here?"

"I walked."

He looked surprised at the idea, staring up at the sky and then catching sight of the umbrella I had hanging off my wrist. "Really? Well, I could give you a lift back to Chief Swan's place if you want. I'm heading that way anyway and it would be a bit hard to walk carrying all these bags."

I should have said no but the idea of carrying all the bags back to Charlie's place was a feat I wasn't in the mood yet to attempt. "Thanks Mike. That would be great."

He helped me carry the bags to his van and then gestured me to slot in on the passenger's front seat. It took me a moment to remember that the steering wheel was on the opposite side of cars here to the side they were on back home. Mike smiled and pointed me in the right direction.

I was appreciative for the ride home but I wasn't about to swoon romantically over the guy any time soon. But you couldn't deny, he _was_ a good friend.

"Thank you Mike, so I'll see you at school?" I said, walking up the path, again carrying my heap of bags.

"I guess so, err…do you need any help there?"

"Oh no, thanks but I'll be fine."

"Okay, see you at school."

I bumped the door closed behind me with a throw of the hip. After that I made a mad dash for the kitchen hoping to get there before I dropped anything. Luckily enough I made it.

By the time the weekend came around I found myself feeling like I really belonged here but then a photograph or keepsake would catch my eye, reminding me what was wrong with this picture. This is Bella's world Ashley, you don't belong here. You just read about it.

On the Saturday I tackled home-work, a little more cooking (an attempt which filled the room with a garlic smell which lasted until the next morning) and somehow got the washing machine to work. Nothing blew up or covered the house in bubbles so I took that as a sign I was doing something right.

It was on the Sunday that the letters came. I woke up in the morning to find two identical letters on the carpet except for the name of the person of the front to which they were addressed to. The first read Ashley, the second Dad. Yet again I recognised Bella's handwriting.

Oh great, I felt like moaning. Just what I needed, a letter from Bella telling Charlie things that he didn't need to hear or even worse things that would screw my story up completely.

Grudgingly, I picked up both letters and began ripping open mine. I read the tiny scrawl aloud to myself quietly, hoping she'd give me some sort of explanation for anything, for everything.

"Dear Ashley, I hope you got those forms you needed for school okay, it looked like it went through okay from my end but I've never had experience with this sort of door before. It took me a while to get these letters to disappear so hopefully they've reached you too.

"Now that I've had time to think, relax and sort things out I want to tell you how sorry I am. I never meant to shut that door on you. The experience was kind of…out of this world. I wasn't thinking and I hope you're okay with Charlie. Just so you know, I'm perfectly fine and your family has been very nice to me despite the craziness of the situation. Yes, I told them what happened. It took them a while but eventually they came around to the realisation.

"As it is, I've been enjoying my time in Australia and have been trying to get the door to open between the worlds to allow you to get back here but it just isn't working. Believe me, I've tried. So, letters are the best I can do for now.

"In the meantime I've been reading up on my so called 'future' and let's just say I'm not too happy about it. I don't want to come back if that's what I've got to look forward to, it's insane!

"I've written a letter to Charlie which will hopefully stop him from calling every law organisation out there in attempt to find me. It's not the truth, he couldn't handle that but it's the best I can do at the moment.

"Hope you're enjoying Forks, not that I would blame you if you aren't. It's a pretty miserable place. Help yourself to whatever you need of my stuff, it's the least I can do after all the stuff I've put you through. Bella.

"P.S Before I forget, make sure you pick up groceries once every so often, Charlie isn't so good when it comes to proper meals from what I can remember. Thank you and please don't hate me."

I folded the letter and sighed, feeling a little better than I had before. Part of me was at least forgiving her what had happened but it was clear she didn't want to come back. Maybe that was why she couldn't open the damn door, she had to _want _to. How could Twilight work without its main character? My favourite novel would just…fall apart! The greatest love story of the twenty first century and it's all going to fall to pieces because Bella Swan thinks her future with Edward Cullen is insane! I can't let that happen!

But what can I do? I'm stuck here with no way of possibly making this right. I turned around and groaned, whacking my forehead into the mattress beneath me.

This was not good.

I handed Bella's letter to Charlie the moment I went downstairs. He took it with a happy but surprised look on his face. Clearly he was relieved to see she was okay. I had no idea what was in that letter, I just hoped it wouldn't stuff things up.

Charlie opened and read the paper in silence. By the time he'd finished, I was sitting on the edge of my seat, rigid with anxiety. Come on Charlie! What did she say?

"So?" I asked, pressing him.

He lowered the paper and looked at me passively. "She said that she's sorry she took off at such late notice and that she's enjoying spending time with your family. She doesn't know how long she's going to stay but she says that she needs a break and will let me know when she's coming back." His voice was even and unemotional.

"Was there anything else?"

He continued, "She also reminded me that I should look after you while you're here and not to worry about you being untrustworthy."

"Okay…." I dragged the word waiting for more.

"Her last comment was that I should remember to eat proper food and that was pretty much all she said."

"Right, so that's good isn't it? She's doing okay."

"Yeah, I'm happy to hear she's safe. I should probably call her mom." He got to his feet as I started protesting.

"No!" he looked startled. I calmed my voice before I continued. "Because that would be just making a big thing out of nothing. You know how Bella's mum likes to worry. It would just end up making a fuss over nothing. She's safe and happy, plus I don't think Bella would like upsetting her mother over something she doesn't need to worry about."

Please, please, please…. Slowly Charlie lowered the phone. "Alright, you're probably right. I'm going to get into a whole lot of trouble for this later but I guess it's better this way."

"Yeah, Bella will probably call her when she wants to." I added.

I felt like exhaling in relief. I didn't want Renee involved, things would go all to heck if that happened. Bella would probably kill me for worrying her mum.

I spent the rest of the weekend finishing up home-work and reading Wuthering Heights in preparation for the "pop quiz" I knew the teacher would spring on us on Monday. Well, if they were following the events of the novel he would.

The morning the snow began to fall. It was a pleasant surprise to see it considering that where I come from, we never ever get snow. I love snow, it's one of the reasons I love going skiing so much. Snow is wonderful, white and also…

"Oh my god! How did it get so cold?" I could feel my teeth chattering as I made my way to the bus stop. These days I always seemed to be either walking to the bus stop or walking back from there. When I got home I was going to thank my mum incessantly for constantly dropping me off and picking me up all these years.

I found it hard to move around that morning. Every few seconds I seemed to be narrowly avoiding slipping over on an icy section of side walk and moving through the car park was absolute hell.

English passed quickly, I aced that quiz, as did the lessons that followed. Everyone was enjoying the snowy day just as the book had described.

Mike had been walking with me when the fights began breaking out. I cringed as one student got hit with an extremely wet and big looking snowball.

"What? Don't you like snow?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, I love it. It's just after experiencing the sensation of having a snowball melt inside your snow gear on my year six camp, I haven't been eager to repeat the sensation any time soon. Still, the snow falling here is very different from what I've seen before."

"Haven't you seen snow fall before?"

"Of course I have, I go skiing every two years or so."

It was then that a big ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of Mike's head. Spinning around quickly, both of us could tell that Eric was walking away suspiciously in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike began scrapping together a return attack when I added an extra bit onto my previous sentence.

"But when people start throwing wet cold stuff down people's backs, I think inside is the best place for me. See you later Mike."

"'Kay, bye." He told me nonchalantly. Clearly his focus was elsewhere, specifically on Eric's retreating shape.

Everywhere I walked, people were discussing the supposed first snowfall of the season. I stuck pretty close to Jessica and Angela, on edge and ready to hit the floor at the possible sign of a snowball attack. Jess thought that my sudden movements every few seconds were pretty funny but at the watchful gaze of one of the teachers she appeared to rule out throwing one in my direction,

Mike caught up with us and launched into conversation with Jessica just as he did in the novel while the rest of us joined the lunch line. Normally I was all about a packed lunch but in the cold I was eager for something warm in my stomach. It was then that it hit me. First snowy day of the season and it was Monday. Spinning around, I faced the side of the room the Cullen's normally sat on. Edward was back.

Finally, I thought. Why in the world did he head up to Alaska anyway? There was no Bella here to drive him away.

As I picked up my food, I glanced there way again, faced with a scene that looked like it belonged in an ad for either hair gel or snow gear. The girls were leaning away as Emmett happily shook his dripping hair all of over them in a great impression of a wet English sheepdog.

Whatever it was that had sent Edward running for the hills, it didn't look like it was a problem anymore.

Hungrily, I began tucking into my food but not being able to resist watching them further. These guys were like superstars of the fictional world.

"Ashley, what are you staring at?" Jess interrupted my musing, following my stare just as I drew it away.

Probably hearing his name in her thoughts, Edward's eyes flashed over towards our table. Crap, it's embarrassing when a boy catches you looking at them in real life. I'd found that it was just as bad in the fictional world. I didn't want him knowing that I was staring at him. Stupid Jessica, this is all your fault.

Jess brought my attention back to Edward with the words, "Edward Cullen is staring at you," she giggled them in my ear.

Yes, probably because he's wondering why some strange Australia exchange student is watching him like some sort of amateur stalker.

"How weird, the Cullens don't really like anybody…or well notice anyone enough to like them but for some reason he's staring at you."

"That doesn't mean you have to stare back," I whispered angrily.

He was probably just curious because he couldn't read my mind. Once he lost interest in that fact, he'd find something else to do and wouldn't care less about me. I'm no Bella, I won't hold that sort of attraction for him.

Jessica snickered before turning away.

Damn, damn, damn. Now I'll have to go to Biology with him knowing I was watching him.

Mike used this opportunity to begin making plans for an enormous snowball fight in the car park after school. Oh no, I don't want to have to sit on the bus in wet clothes. I could always hide until everyone leaves. No, that wouldn't work. I'd miss the bus. Oh wait, the snow would melt on the way to Bio, I'd be able to walk freely without getting white mush down my shirt. I had to laugh, Twilight was turning out to me more of an accurate weather forecast than a plan for how life events were supposed to go.

By the time the bell rang, I was still nervous about facing Edward but I wasn't about to skip class or anything.

Usually I walked with Mike to Biology but on this occasion I didn't think he would mind me going ahead. He always seemed to be getting attacked by snowball snipers hidden behind something a rather.

My table was empty when I arrived at the classroom, so I slid myself onto the stool without any problems. Mr. Banner came by to place a microscope on the desk but other than that no-one approached until Edward did.

I heard the chair next to me move quite clearly but knew that Edward was only making the sound on purpose to sound more human. Vampires were more the silent type when they moved.

I kept my eyes focused on the empty pages of my notebook but looked up when he greeted me with that familiar and velvet voiced hello.

"Hi," I said back, trying not to look him directly in the eye. Slowly my gaze fought itself there and I froze as I took in just how gold his eyes were today. Not that they hadn't been the first time we'd met but this coloured showed just how much he'd fed while he was away.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth, ready to ask the question that had been bugging me during his absence. I had to know what had made him leave. The story was working in an odd sort of way but it wasn't right.

Time to fix things and remember to beware of fast moving vans.

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**A/N: Okay, I know the letters were a little corny but Charlie needed some info on his daughter soon before he freaked out. You can all probably guess what comes next in this story, Tyler's van, or can you?**

**Remember to review. Thanks for all the previous ones. Just so you know, if you have any questions just put them in the review and I'll do my best to answer them. Thanks!**

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: The snow may be melting but the icy slicks on the road are still numerous. When an out of control school mini bus finds itself on a direct collision course with our heroine will Edward save her or let her die?**_

_**Next time.**_


	7. Unavoidable

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters, settings, concepts and on occasion a line or two. The concept for the fan fiction itself belongs to whoever created Lost in Austen. **

**A/N: I know this is my second chapter in a day but I was eager to write another one before I go back to school tomorrow. I won't have as much leisure time as I have had during my holiday time. But you never know, we'll see. Okay, as always, hope you enjoy it. **

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"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked, running a hand back through his wet hair. Somehow even when it was wet, he still looked amazing.

"Well, yes and no."

"Why both?" he began pulling out his stuff, ready to work.

"Yes because I do actually like snow, it's pretty and…white." He smiled at my simplistic description. "And no because I'm not in the mood to have to dodge the snowball fight some of the other had planned for this afternoon."

Now he understood, "You don't like getting wet." It wasn't a question, it was purely an assumption.

"Not exactly, I don't mind swimming pools, getting rained on in warm weather is nice too but getting frozen water stuffed down my clothes where it'll then melt with no way to dry isn't really my idea of fun." I explained.

"I can understand why you would think that way,"

Cutting off his students' conversations, Mr. Banner began talking about the lab experiment we'd be doing today. I couldn't help but tune out; it wasn't like I didn't already know what we were being set. Just like the novel we were classifying the stages of mitosis from slides under the microscope and then labelling them. I'd started to really get the hang of this by now. I'd had to spend a little extra time on the work after school but it had hopefully all paid of.

"Get started," Mr. Banner commanded, sending me out of my daydream.

"Ladies first, partner?" Edward gestured to the microscope as the gentleman he was. God, please don't let me get this wrong. Don't let me look stupid in front of him. The sight of his crooked smile stopped me for a moment before I shook it off and turned my attention to the work. He sure was making it hard to concentrate.

I slid the slide into place and placed the objective nozzle onto 40x. I studied it for a moment, running through the possibilities and then making what I believed was a positive assessment.

"Prophase," I told him, my voice not as confident as my thought had been.

"Do you mind if I look?" Edward asked. It felt like we were both reading from an already written script. His hand reached out to straighten the slide which I bumped when removing my hand. For just a moment our finger brushed one another. The touch was cold as was expected but the suddenness of the gesture had got me off guard. It had been a surprise despite that I already had an idea about what temperature skin would be if I ever was to touch it. Although, I now found that having an idea and actually experiencing it were two very different things.

"Sorry," he said, watching every micro expression that crossed my face in hopes that he hadn't just done something very wrong or upset me. I shrugged it off, I wasn't about to be upset by a mere brush of the fingers.

"No problem." And I really did mean it.

"Prophase," he agreed with me thank goodness, I was right. Quickly he wrote the answer onto our worksheet in the font that I remembered so well from both the books and work documents I had made after downloading it off the internet (yes, I do have the odd moment of extreme obsession).

He put the second slide into place and recognised it as Anaphase after only a few seconds. Another answer was swiftly added to the sheet. I didn't bother to check, he was always right.

"Could I do the next one? I need the practice" I asked, watching as he carefully passed it to me. He did it so very carefully as to not touch me again. Gosh Edward, it was just a touch.

I slid the slide in and peered through the eyepiece. "Interphase," I said very proudly. I knew he'd want to check it anyway so I handed the microscope over before he opened his mouth to ask.

While he checked I wrote the answer down on the paper. At least my writing was neat today but even on my neatest of writing days I knew it would never match the flawless script that came out of Edward's pen. He nodded at the page, showing that he agreed with my answer.

The two slides that followed were as simple enough as those before, I was happy that I'd been able to hold my own working with him. Answers in both handwriting styles were found on the page. This forced Mr. Banner to accept that work had been done by both sides of the table when he came to check a few moments after we finished.

"No problems Ashley?" he asked.

"Not really, Edward's been helping me out anyway."

Edward was quick to jump in and correct me, "She's being modest. Actually, Ashley identified three of the five very easily."

Mr. Banner looked pleasantly surprised and I tried not to take offense. "Well done, I guess it's good you two are lab partners." Gosh, I'm a completely different person people, aren't I at least worth some conversation directed towards _me_? No, let's just use the same words we would have used had Bella not ended up in Australia and Ashley here.

He rushed off to tell of Mike and his partner who were attempting to cheat by opening their books under the table. I laughed, as Mr. Banner began angrily telling them to put the books away.

When I turned back, Edward was wearing an odd expression. It was a smile but there was something about it that was different.

"What is it?" I asked.

He shook his head as his smile broadened. "Nothing, don't worry."

Time to ask him where he'd been and hopefully he'd at least answer me. "Can I ask you something? I mean, besides what I just asked you then to ask you whether I could ask you something." Okay and the babble award _goes _to….!

"I don't see why not."

"You have every right not to answer me considering that it's none of my business but where were you last week?"

He looked as though he'd been expecting something very different but the surprise was only there for about a fraction of a second. "Why do you ask?"

Hmm…maybe because I'm nosy, curious and extremely annoying. "No reason," much better answer.

"Alright, because you asked, it was because of my sister." This wasn't what I had been expecting.

"Your sister?"

"Alice,"

"What happened?" I knew Alice had her annoying moments but really, she'd been bad enough for Edward to want to leave the house? Or was this just an excuse to cover up another reason?

"We had an argument about my future," he smiled weakly. "Looking back on it I now see that it was quite ridiculous."

"Your future?" To a normal person this was sound like a mere case of what are you going to do about university or college, what career are you going to have? When it was relating to the Cullen family I could only assume that they had argued about a vision Alice had seen. But what had she seen that was so upsetting?

"Like I said, it was ridiculous."

Clearly everything was fine again seeing how they had been acting perfectly social during lunch.

"How do you liking Forks?" Nice jump Edward, way to go at moving the attention off yourself and your family.

"You ask a lot of questions." I commented.

"Maybe, but weren't you the one just asking questions of me?"

Damn, he was right. "True, it's just you seem to be very interested in me for some weird reason."

"Is it so surprising to you that someone would be interested in hearing about you?"

"A little but…there you go again with the questions."

"I apologize if I'm annoying you. Do my questions bother you that much?" He looked amused at the idea.

No, actually it was flattering that he wanted to know more about me but I wasn't about to tell him that. "No, you're not, it's just that usually people don't ask me so many questions because they can tell what I'm thinking or feeling from my expression. You should see me try to play this card game called Cheat I play with my friends back home. Every time I try to lie every single one of them sees right through it. It means that unfortunately I have to win by telling the truth as ironic as it sounds." Okay, did he really have to know that? No. Ashley you really need to learn when to shut up

"I'm afraid I can't say anything about your ability to lie, not that it's such a bad thing that you have to tell the truth, but I find you very difficult to read." Because I don't come from this world or have brain waves recognisable by your mind reader abilities, it's just a guess.

"Then I guess you must be good at reading people." We were both aware of just how good a reader Edward was of human thoughts.

"Usually," He smiled widely, revealing his extremely white and better than perfect set of teeth. Twilight remains the only vampire story I've read where the vamps don't have fangs.

Mr. Banner addressed the class, calling it to order again before turning on the projector out the front and going through the answers in detail, allowing each of us to mark our sheets.

I couldn't help but sit there surprised by how much information came out of my mouth when I was talking to Edward. I knew that I'd only spoken to him once before but somehow it felt like I'd known him since the moment I picked up my Twilight novel for the first time.

"Is there something wrong?" Edward whispered underneath Mr. Banner's descriptions, watching me squint my eyes and lean forward every so often to try and make the image clearer.

"It's nothing. I just packed for this trip extremely quickly and forgot my glasses. I have to use them for reading boards, projectors, watching TV that sort of thing."

"Short sightedness?"

I nodded.

When the bell rang, Edward rose from his seat and moved as gracefully and as fast out of the room as he had on the previous Monday. I watched after him in a daze until my attention was drawn by Mike who had taken it upon himself to pack up my books for me. He began complaining about the practical which I sort of tuned out, secretly dying because I had P.E next.

Volleyball was alright, Mike teamed up with me again and I managed to get one or two serves within the court which when served back I missed by a mile.

The lesson moved slowly as usual but I was happy when the time came to get changed and make my way to the bus stop. No wet flying snowballs, life was good. That is until I reached an icy slick and slipped over.

My legs bend out under me and my arms flew from my sides. "Whoa!" I cried out as I hit the asphalt. Ouch that hurt. I moved myself slightly, trying to check for the presence of all limbs. Okay, nothing's broken but boy am I going to have bruises in the morning.

Gripping onto a nearby car side mirror, I pulled myself up into a standing position and began walking again, rubbing my shoulder.

As I hopped onto the bus I caught sight of Edward from across the car park. From the look on his face I could have sworn he was trying to stifle his laughter.

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The first thing I noticed when I woke up the next morning was the clarity of the air outside. Everything seemed fresher and then I looked out the window. Snow. The entire surface as well as everything that was once green was now covered in thick, white snow.

The trees which had once been dusted with drops of fresh water were now coated in frozen icy drips. The driveway on the hand had completely frozen over creating a deadly icy covered slide. I made a vow not to even set foot on that section of the front yard today.

I rushed through breakfast and getting dressed, eager to get to school to see Edward again. I had decided to forgive him for his little outbreak of laugher and my mishap yesterday afternoon. Still, that didn't stop me from wanting ask him millions of things. Even just to watch him would be….I really should stop this. It isn't right. Reminding myself of where I was from and where I should be brought me down to earth a little but the feeling couldn't be stifled completely.

The bus trip was nicer than usual. I was perfectly happy staring out at the beautiful white world Forks had become. Snow really was magical when people weren't chucking it at you.

By the time the bus stopped I was eager to get out and trek through the slush. I was wearing proper shoes for it and extra long socks.

I walked slowly, whistling as I went as my hair whipped around my face. All of a sudden I froze. I'd only taken a few short steps and was still on the road. Behind me the bus was doing a u-turn and before I knew it, it had slid a little too far to the left. A little too close to me. I stood rigid, eyes locked with driver as the mini-bus swerved a slid over the ice. No, this couldn't happen to me. I wasn't in the right spot, this wasn't Tyler's van. How could this be happening? And yet it was. A million questions raced through my mind and time moved as though it had been slowed down significantly.

Without even realising it, my eyes looked towards the park in which Edward kept his silver Volvo. Just as I'd imagined it every time I read this scene from the novel, his expression was one of horror. I then locked eyes with the minibus driver as he tried to avoid me.

Cringing away in what I thought would be the last movement ever made before every bone in my body was crushed beneath the erratically moving vehicle. This isn't supposed to happen, was my last thought. Then I was hit from the side. This is so familiar but it shouldn't be happening to me. I should be reading about it.

I was thrown to the ground and pinned against the side of a hard shape. Two white hands, two perfect and familiar hands shot out, protecting me from the incoming bus. The vehicle shuddered to a sudden stop a small space in front of me as the hands pressed into the new dent in the bus's side. Somebody's low and frustrated voice sounded beside my ear as they swore. Edward, it was Edward. He'd saved me.

"God, it's cold here." I moaned, shuddering away from the cold concrete that touched my back where my clothes had lifted up.

I could hear the loud screams in the background, people yelling at other people to call nine-one-one. My brain kept saying that that was wrong, it's triple zero. Everyone knows that. Another voice in the back of my head chimed in, stupid idiot, you're in America. The emergency number is different here. Oh, that's right.

"Take it easy," Edward's voice was calm despite the fact that he'd just stopped a racing minibus. He let me up slowly. Luckily enough nothing was paining me except for a few up coming bruises and the frozen bordering on hypothermic sensation on my back.

"This wasn't supposed to happen. It should have been Bella and Tyler's van. Not me and a stupid minibus." I moaned without thinking.

"What?" Edward asked, staring down at me in confusion.

"The bus driver, get him out!" Somebody yelled.

"God you moved fast," I commented.

Edward put up the defensive front immediately. "I don't know what you mean,"

"I mean I knew you could move fast over big distances but gosh,"

"Ashley, I was standing right near you and pulled you out of the way." He told me hardly.

"No you weren't, you were by your car." I protested. Oh my god, I could not believe I was having this conversation with him. I'm not clueless Bella in this situation. I know he's a vampire for crying out loud!

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were."

"Ashley, please." He eyes blazed like wildfires.

"Why?"

"Trust me," his voice turned pleading.

"Oh fine, but we _will _talk about this later."

"Fine," he snapped. I couldn't be bothered to do a Bella and repeat the word, so I settled for sitting there until EMTs arrived with stretchers. Both Edward and I refused ours. I hadn't even hit my head so Edward had no way of forcing me to do it. I was in perfect health except for a little shock.

I felt bad for the bus driver. If only I hadn't of been standing there, he would never have had to swerve to avoid me and the accident would have been avoided completely. Now that's cruel fate for you.

Charlie turned up just as I was getting into the car. "Ashley, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a couple of bruises, it's no big deal." I yelled across the noisy crowd of people.

"I'll meet you at the hospital."

Looking past him, I caught sight of the rest of the Cullens. Their expressions ranged from anger, to shock, to disapproval. Oh well, that was to be expected.

My last thought before we began the drive to the Forks local hospital was: How is this happening to me?

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**A/N: Some things are just unavoidable, like per say, vehicle related accidents in the snow and ice. Sorry, couldn't resist cutting this scene from the storyline. Hope you enjoyed it. **

**Reviews, keep them coming. I love hearing your thoughts and opinions.**

_**Next time on Living in Meyer: We meet Carlisle Cullen, Ashley begins to try to convince Edward that he doesn't need to hide his secret from her**__** (silly really, considering she already knows it) and a whole new anger session between Ashley and Bella's bedroom door.**_

_**Next time. **_


	8. Open Window

**A/N: ****Sorry it's been longer than usual, like I said before, no more holidays means not so much leisure time. Luckily enough it's the weekend and it's given me a chance to get back into it. Hope you like it.**

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You have got to be kidding me. Tyler is supposed to lose control of his van! Not the driver of the school mini bus!

I sat impatiently as we were driven speedily to the hospital and boy is it small compared to what I'm used to back home. Then again, this is a small town and I live in a city.

A few minutes later I found myself sitting on the edge of a hospital bed alone apart from the nurse who was shooting me dirty looks because I wouldn't let her test me. The bus driver had obviously been taken to another room. I wondered about his condition. The nurse began asking me questions about my current condition when Charlie arrived.

I had to smile, how nice. He cared about what happened to me.

"How you feeling?

"Perfectly fine, just a few bruises but it's not like that's unusual."

He smiled weakly, "Reminds me of Bella. She's always doing _something_ to herself."

"What can I say? Being able to trip over nothing at all, it's a talent." I attempted to lighten the mood and succeeded.

"Why don't I go find a doctor so we can get you out of here?" Charlie offered. I nodded, leaning back on the hospital bed as he left the room.

It was quiet, too quiet. I jiggled around on the bed, listening as the old springs creaked and sprung underneath me. The nurse looked at me disapprovingly.

Leaning back, eventually comfortable, I found myself gazing blankly at the ceiling. God, somebody get me out of here. I'll go insane there's so little activity going on.

Slowly I closed my eyes, slipping into a day dream I found ten times more interesting than my current surroundings.

"Is she sleeping?" A voice asked out of nowhere. They had been no footsteps of any kind, sending me jumping almost two feet in the air.

Edward smirked at my reaction. "I guess not." I glared at him. Couldn't he at least try to make some sort of sound when he moved?

"So what's the verdict?" Edward asked, serious again.

The nurse answered this question, "We're not sure, she won't let us do any tests."

Immediately I jumped in, defensive. "That's because I don't need any tests." I looked at Edward, "You pushed me out of the way. The only thing wrong with me is a small bruise where I hit the ground and numbness in my back from touching the snow for a length of time. And even though they know all this, I haven't been able to see a doctor to let me leave!" I cried in exasperation.

Edward smiled. "You talk a lot don't you?" I gave him a look that sent him holding up his hands in an 'okay-back-down' gesture. "But don't worry, I've come to spring you."

It was at this moment that a man walked through the door. It only took me a millisecond to work out who it was and all I needed was a glance at the colour of his hair.

Carlisle Cullen.

Gosh, no wonder half the nurses in the hospital were in love with him but how he managed to ever pass for thirty, I had no idea.

"So Miss Gill," he began, his voice as smooth as Edward's, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I said.

"Well, that's quite hard to be sure of. The nurses tell me you have yet to let anyone do any tests on you." He smiled, amused.

"Really, I'm okay. Edward knocked me out of the way, I don't need any tests. I just need someone to sign me out." Carlisle's eyes flickered some unregistered emotion at the mention of Edward's superhero moment.

Carlisle shone a light into both my eyes and took my blood pressure, saying that it was better to be cautious then to be sorry. Seeing that there was nothing wrong with me, he agreed to let me go.

"Nothing appears to be out of the ordinary but you may experience some post-traumatic stress. Take it easy over the next few days."

"Do I get to go back to school?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow, "That's not exactly what I meant by taking it easy,"

I tried the Edward tact, "But Edward gets to go back to school,"

"Someone has to spread the good news that we survived." Edward commented, his expression smug.

"I asked Chief Swan to wait in the waiting room. You can go find him now if you want."

Carlisle began working on the paperwork in front of him as a series of loud cries began to emit from the hallway. People were yelling orders at one another in a frenzied panic. I sat upright, trying to work out what was going on. Carlisle looked up, shooting Edward a look.

"Ashley, I suggest we both leave the room now." Edward lightly helped me off the bed and began gently guiding me towards the door.

"What? What's wrong?

A gurney was wheeled into the room, covered in people working on the mess of a person lying on it. Through the blood, bandages and hospital equipment I managed to recognise Tyler. Oh dear.

Edward's expression froze and his motions became more hurried, we were out into the hallway before I had time to react. I understood why, Edward couldn't be around that much blood. He'd lose control.

A thought processed through the back of my mind, creating conclusions and ideas about Tyler's appearance. He'd been in an accident. Oh god, no. In the book Tyler was driving the van that lost control and almost took out Bella before Edward saved her. In the novel Edward stopped the van before it really hit anything at a strong force. But this version of events was different. Bella had never been here to be almost hit and Edward to save her. He would never have stopped the van before it…crashed into something. This was all my fault.

My face froze, "Oh my god, what have I done?" I cried, covering my face with my hands and facing the wall.

"Ashley?" Edward asked. The anxiety was clear in his voice.

"I-I…oh god, it's all my fault. This is wrong," I continued to chatter away random connections of words, feeling guilt overload my mind. Bella should be here. I wasn't in the right place and the right time and now Tyler might…might… I couldn't even think it.

"Ashley, calm down." Edward spun me around, leaving me centimetres from his beautiful eyes. He looked at me reproachfully as I struggled to get my blabbering under control.

"Now, what's your fault? What's wrong?" he asked, clearly and calmly.

I frowned. I couldn't answer those questions. Not when they were being asked by him.

"Nothing, there's nothing wrong." I told him equally as calmly. I knew he'd see right through my lies but knowing I was lying and knowing the truth were two different things.

Edward let go of me like quickly as though he'd just realised what he was doing with his hands. He looked down at me oddly. "Yes. There is."

"No, there isn't. It's just the hospital, they make me feel uncomfortable."

His eyebrows furrowed at this, "Why won't you tell me?" he asked.

Don't do it Ashley, you've already made things worse than they should be. Don't add another pile to the heap.

"Look, Charlie's waiting for me. I've got to go. And thanks for stopping that minibus by the way." Oh, you were doing so well. Why did you have to go and add that last part on?

His expression became glazed. "Stopping? I don't know what you mean." Great, here comes the whole 'you must have been seeing things' act.

"You ran all that way from your car, jumped in, covered me and stopped the minibus." I explained.

He shook his head and gave me a patronising smile. "Ashley, you must be confused. It's understandable with everything that was going on at the time. I was standing right next to you and pulled you out of the way." He corrected.

I was starting to understand Bella's frustration. Mine was probably worse though considering I actually already _knew _he was a vampire.

"I'm not confused, I didn't hit my head and I know exactly what I saw." I protested. "This is so frustrating. I already know what you are and what you can do. I don't want to go through this whole pointless conversation." I fumed.

This threw him for a loop. "Excuse me?"

"I said I know what you are and what you can do," I repeated.

His words fell back into cover up mode. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"

"No, Edward! I did not hit my head! You're a–"

He cut me off, "Charlie Swan will be waiting for you. It would be rude to keep him there longer than necessary."

"But…" I tried again.

"I'll see you at school Ashley." He said politely as he turned on his heel and headed up the corridor.

You have got to be kidding me! Here I am trying to tell him that I know he's a vampire and that he doesn't have to cover up his enormous secret around me and he won't even let me get the stupid words out!

I reached the waiting room quickly – it's a small hospital – to find almost the entire junior class. I ignored the calls of my name and walked briskly towards Charlie. There was no way I was in the mood for answering the questions of and telling stories to a group of teenagers right now.

"Ready to go?" Charlie asked. I nodded and followed him out the front to the police cruiser.

"What did the doctor say?"

I shrugged, "Doctor Cullen gave me a look over. He said I was fine, just to take it easy."

Charlie grunted a reply to this and continued driving until we reached my substitute home.

He dropped me off but made sure I was alright, offering to stay with me quite a few times. I told him there was no point and that I would merely be reading a book or surfing the web on Bella's extremely slow internet connection.

Left with the house to myself as usual, I headed into Bella's room and pressed the on button on the computer. As it slowly turned on, my eyes instinctively looked towards the now closed bedroom door. Anger and frustration with both myself and others began to bubble up. I needed to let off some steam and here was the perfect outlet for it.

"You know what Bella? This whole story is going to hell! Okay?" I began to yell. "I almost got taken out by a minibus and Tyler Crowley is lying all mangled in a hospital bed. If you had been here and I had been where I was _supposed _to be, none of this would have happened. Tyler would just have escaped with a few cuts!

"God, I hope you're enjoying whatever it is you're doing in my world because it better be worth it. This is stupid, it's pathetic and it can't be happening. But it is! Somehow it is! I can't keep this story going forever. I need you back here to make it work. I…" I trailed off, unable to express anymore of what I wanted to say.

"I'm yelling at a door again," I realised, shaking my head.

A small noise, a creak of some sort sounded from the window. I cracked my neck in the direction as fast as possible, feeling jumpy. My eyes focused on the window, as I walked toward it. The window had been left open just a fraction but still noticeably. I slide my fingers onto the latch and lifted. Amazingly it moved easily, unlike the jarred and forced attempt I'd had on it a couple of days ago.

"What the…?" I thought aloud, wondering how it was possible and somehow missing the most obvious answer.

"Charlie must have done it at some point." I concluded, unaware of how stupid I would feel once the real answer came to light.

By the time Charlie got home that evening, I was unusually tired. So after a quick, hot shower and a change into pyjamas, I went to bed early.

In Twilight, I remember Bella saying that this was the first night she dreamed of Edward Cullen. Having been obsessed with the story for a while now, the characters from Forks have featured in my dreams many times. But like Bella, it was just one person who also starred in _my_ dreams that evening.

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A/N:

**Remember how much I love reviews. Reviews make me happy and the happier I am, the quicker and the better I write! : ) I hope you guys like the story as much as I like writing it. Let me know your thoughts and ideas, I love to hear them.**

_**Next time on Living in Meyer: It's spring fling invitation bonanza. Will Ashley be the object of as much attention as Bella? What excuses will she use for getting out of it? And will Ashley **_**ever **_**get the chance to tell Edward she knows his secret? **_

_**Next Time…**_


	9. Invitations

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or settings etc, they belong to Stephenie Meyer and the idea itself belongs to the person who created Lost in Austen.**

**A/N: New chapter, hurrah! I love the feeling of accomplishment I get after finding the time to write another chapter. So I'll stop blabbering now and let you get to it. **

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I groaned, rolling over as I caught a glimpse of my watch. I refused to get up, the warmth under the covers was just too impossible to resist. I crushed myself up into a smaller ball underneath the bed covers. With a sigh, I realised that there was no fighting it, I would have to get up sooner or later whether I liked it or not.

I mumbled something even incomprehensible to me before throwing back the covers and swinging myself up in one movement. Getting up is so much easier this way. Do it quick, like your ripping off a band-aid.

Over the next few weeks, I began to lose track of time. How long had I been here? It felt like forever and I wondered how my presence was affecting Charlie. He must be wondering about when I'm going to leave by _now_. But, to my surprise, Charlie never commented on this subject once. He spoke to me like a friend and treated me like my being there was nothing out of the ordinary. I began to feel that in some way, I had become a sort of substitute Bella for him. He mentioned her every so often but only to ask how she was. Having not had contact with Bella since her letter, I forced myself to lie by saying that she was fine. Though, I couldn't ignore the expression of sudden sadness seemed to spread across his face at the sight of her school pictures on the living room wall.

School was a different environment. It had only taken me a day to get frustrated by the annoying requests for retelling my accident that wasn't. People followed me and I found myself the center of attention for quite a while. Sure, I'll talk to a small group, but having everyone's eyes on you wherever you go is not something I enjoy. I still remember the days of early high school in which every student was required to spend twenty minutes of silence reading a novel. At the cooler times of the year I'd get a cold and spend these twenty minutes holding back coughing fits just to avoid people staring at me in the quiet. Sure, tears built up in my eyes and my throat burned but at least no-one looked at me.

Irrational, I know.

Despite the relenting questions and puppy dog faces, otherwise everyone seemed to be very much on edge about Tyler's condition. He was still in hospital and in critical condition. It was something that brought back my deep guilt every time I thought about it. Some how, I couldn't help but blame myself for what had happened. If _only _I'd been in the right accident.

The bus driver on the other hand was perfectly healthy and had gone back to work a week after the accident. He'd been left with a mild concussion and a couple of cuts and bruises but had been otherwise alright.

After answering their questions for the first time, Mike, Jessica and Eric had been quick to comment that Edward hadn't even been seen until the ambulance arrived. Lying so bluntly was difficult at first but after time, repetition made it easier.

Luckily for Edward, he'd been freed from the pointed questions and crowds gathering around him. He was simply avoided as usual. I couldn't help but feel jealous.

Ever since the accident I'd tried to get myself alone with him so I could get the point I wanted to get across to him before. Unfortunately, Edward was a hard guy to catch alone. At lunch he was with his family in a crowded lunchroom, in biology there were other students and he dashed out of class before I could ask to speak with him alone and apart from this, I somehow was getting the feeling he was avoiding me.

I was trying to do the right thing here. I wasn't about to do the horrible thing and talk about the fact I knew he was a vampire in the presence of twenty of so other students. I just wished he would make it the slightest bit easier for me.

When I arrived at Biology in a lesson a few weeks post the accident, Edward was already seated. In previous lessons he had acted under the impression that he wasn't even aware I was beside him. The whole act was by now seriously pissing me off.

"Hey Edward," I said. His greeting in reply was a small fractional turn of the head before looking quickly away.

It was our last exchange of contact for a while. This seemed to please both Mike and Eric very much. Me, on the other hand, I wasn't so brightened by it.

Mike began to become more confident in his attentions towards me, talking to me on the edge of my table right up until the beginning of class and ignoring Edward completely just as he had in the novel. Even though I expected it, the whole thing was still disappointing and saddening.

I'd been looking forward to spending time in Forks because I'd get to talk to Edward, not be ignored by him like Bella would have been.

Mike was happy that the beach trip he'd planned could perhaps commence soon – I knew that it would, I was excited to meet Jacob. Jessica was instead more focused on another event looming, the Spring Dance. She called and asked if I would mind her asking Mike to it considering it was girls' choice and persisted in asking whether I was planning to ask him instead.

I told her no saying that I wasn't even sure how much longer I was going to be in town. Besides, I didn't see Mike in that way. We were friends.

The next day I was surprised by a change in Jess's personality. The bright and bubbly person I was use to had been replaced by a quieter and less enthusiastic one. She sat as far away from Mike as possible. It didn't take me long to realise that Mike had probably told her he'd think about it because he was planning to ask me. Damn, why? Why in the world would he want to ask me? Guys _never_ ask me out. Therefore, turning one down was going to be…an experience.

Trying to prolong the time until the question, I hurried off to biology before Mike could walk me and slid into my seat as quickly as possible without falling over. Edward's eyes followed my quick movement for just a moment before he went back to ignoring me again.

I sighed, great. He hates me. Edward Cullen, probably the most in love with character of the twenty first century and he hates me. Fabulous, just fabulous.

Well, you know what? Why should I care you proud, arrogant…

"Ashley?" A voice interrupted my mental insult.

"What?" I said jumpily. Mike looked down at me from where he stood. He looked extremely uncomfortable. Oh god, no.

"So, Jessica asked me to the spring dance." He began, his eyes focused on the floor. I knew how this scene went.

"That's great. You'll have a lot of fun with Jessica."

"Well, I told her I had to think about it." Well duh, I know you did. It's why she won't look at you.

"Why would you do that?" I asked, ignoring his apparent unhappiness with my answer.

Face turning red, looking at the floor, nervous hand twisting.

"I was wondering if…well, you might be planning to ask me." He pushed out the words, happy to have them finally out.

Great, now what do I say? "Mike, I think you should tell her yes,"

"Did you already ask someone?" His eyes flickered to Edward. Of course I haven't asked Edward dummy. Number one, he clearly doesn't like me and two, I've never been able to ask a guy out in my life, let alone one that's fictional and this amazingly handsome.

"No," I assured him.

"Then why?" he was starting to sound whinny.

"Because I have no idea when I'm leaving and I don't want to make plans with someone and then have to cancel them. That wouldn't be fair. Besides, I don't have money for a dress or anything like that." That sounded logical and by some miracle this excuse was actually true.

"Oh." He said simply.

"You shouldn't make Jess wait any longer, it's rude." I finished off Bella's lines, leaving Mike looking defeated.

"Yeah, you're right." He mumbled as he headed back to his seat.

Mr. Banner began talking as a fresh load of guilt was added to the already huge pile. I could feel my face fall and the pit of my stomach lurch. Maybe it's a good thing guys have never asked me out because then I would have to do this to at least some of them. Seeing that defeated look on Mike's face had just topped off what had started to become a rather unpleasant trip to my favourite novel.

Looking up, I found a familiar pair of eyes watching me intently. Edward's eyes were darker today but currently overshadowed by furrowed and frustrated eyebrows. I looked gazes with him expecting him to look away, embarrassed but that was a silly idea. Edward Cullen and embarrassed just didn't fit together all that well.

"Mr. Cullen?"

"The Krebs Cycle," we both said at exactly the same time. His answer was loud and directed to the teacher, mine was low and only audible to him and myself. This seemed to surprise him more. We both knew neither of us had even heard the question.

Feeling uncomfortable, I looked back towards Mr. Banner, attempting to listen to the lesson. When the bell rang, I was happy to escape. I just needed to get away from people for a while.

"Ashley?" Edward stopped me.

I looked over at him, placed a hand on my hip and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I'm being very rude, I know. But it's better this way, really." His voice was as sincere as only Edward Cullen could be.

"Mmhm," I mumbled to my feet.

He opened his mouth to speak again but I cut him off. I knew this line well. "It's better if we're not friends. Yes, I know. I understand."

The confused expression returned. "How do you keep doing that?" he asked more to himself than to me.

I ignored this, "I know you don't like me very much. Don't worry, I get it. I'm an annoying person."

He started back surprised. This was new to him. "Don't like you?" he repeated.

"Yeah, like I said. It's okay, I understand." The words were meant to be sympathetic and polite but instead sound sad and defeated.

"You think that I have ill feelings toward you?"

I nodded, "Why else would you be treating me this way?" I said more forcefully. "You don't regret saving me, so this is the only other possible explanation."

His anger showed as he opened his mouth to say one thing but then swiftly changed to the words he used in the story. "You don't know anything."

What? What's going on here? If he doesn't not like me then why is he ignoring me like Bella? Something was wrong here but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"You'd be surprised just how much I know," I shot back, hurt.

Trying to understand and in need of a place to collect my thoughts, I rushed off through the door, remembering at the last moment to make sure I didn't drop my things. I realised that again I had missed another opportunity of talking about what I knew. With this, I walked as fast as I could, fighting tears of anger and confusion the entire way.

I passed through the rest of the afternoon quietly, attempting to block things around me out. This failed when I painfully got hit in the head with a basketball. The glare at the person who'd thrown it had _not _been pretty.

So, nursing my throbbing headache, I headed towards the bus stop in my usual routine. Unfortunately, having a routine makes you predictable. Eric stood waiting for me in the car park.

Okay, whoever's responsible for this, stop now! It is beyond unfunny.

I wound my way around the cars, keeping out of sight and then made a quick dash for the bus. It was very spy op. If anyone had been watching me it would have been pretty embarrassing.

That evening I received the expected call from Jessica who was in the mood to gush about the dance. She tried to get me to go but accepted the excuse I'd given Mike.

After hanging up I did some homework and out of boredom prepared some pasta. Charlie gave the meal a look when he entered the kitchen.

"By the time you leave I will have tried every time of grocery store bought pre-made pasta sauce on the market." He joked.

I smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I know it's pretty much all I make but then again it's kind of the only thing I_ can_ make."

"That's alright. I can't complain. It isn't as if I'm helping out with meals."

"Nah, it's fine I'll try and give something else a go tomorrow if you'd like."

He nodded.

When we were both almost finished our food, Charlie brought up the spring dance. A particular topic that surprised me.

"Are you planning to go to the school dance a week from Saturday?" he asked, curious.

"No, I'm not." I told him.

"Why not?"

How do I explain this? "I don't really want to go and besides I haven't got anything to wear. Normally when I go to dances I spend half my time eating and drinking and the rest sitting down wishing it would finish." I explained honestly. I never minded the whole dressing up part but the actual events themselves always bored me. I wasn't exactly a dancer. My idea of dancing was shifting my weight from one leg to another.

"Okay." He said, ending the conversation.

When I hopped out of the bus the next day, there was a chill in the air. I couldn't see Edward anywhere – not that I was looking – and the car park was filled with small groups of chatting teenagers.

Not watching my feet I felt my foot dig into a small piece of uneven asphalt. Stumbling, my novel slipped from my hands. I gasped, waiting for it to fall into the puddle below me but it was instead grabbed from the air in a swift movement by a white hand.

I stood upright, locking eyes with Edward as he smiled, standing beside me casually.

He held the book out to me and glanced at the cover as I took it from him. "Err…thanks." I mumbled awkwardly.

"My pleasure," he replied politely.

"Umm…did you want something?" I managed to stutter out. At that moment I thought I heard someone call my name. My head jerked up, looking in all directions anxiously. Edward chuckled. "That reminds me. I rather enjoyed your attempt at invisibility yesterday afternoon. Are you wanting to disappear in general or was there someone specifically that you were trying to avoid?" He grinned.

My mouth dropped as my face heated up. My cheeks weren't the blushing sort but the embarrassment in my mind was extremely strong. "I thought you were supposed to be ignoring me?" I shot out.

"How could anyone miss you, I'm afraid you weren't as good at lying low as you thought," he explained. "And, I'm not ignoring you."

"Really? Sure looks like it." I rolled my eyes.

"We're having a conversation now aren't we?" he pointed out.

"Well, I guess." I had to admit that one.

He looked smug. Okay, time to wipe the smile off. Time to tell him what I know.

"Look, Edward, I need to talk to you about something."

His features smoothed out slightly. "What about?"

I took a deep breath. "It's about what I was trying to say to you at the hospital."

Yep, there goes the smile. He didn't speak but stood patiently waiting for me to continue.

"Okay, like I said before. This might be hard to believe or to understand but I know what you are and what you can do."

He opened his mouth but I cut him off, "Yes, I know you think I've got you confused with someone else but I'm telling you that I know you're a v–"

"Hey Ashley," A voice interrupted me interrupting Edward. It was Eric.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" I said exasperatingly. Was I _ever _going to get to tell Edward this?

"Hey Edward, Ashley, can I speak to you for a moment?" Eric asked after greeting Edward.

No, apparently not.

Edward raised an eyebrow at my frustrated burst of words. "Sure, Eric." I said unenthusiastically.

"I'll wait here," Edward told me, looking a tad amused as Eric led me away towards a beat up white Toyota.

"What's up?" I asked, when he stopped walking.

Eric, the opposite of Mike, blurted his question out quickly. "Uh, I was wondering…if you would go to the spring dance with me?"

Oh god, when will the punishment end? "I thought it was a girls' choice."

"Well, yeah." He looked ashamed.

"Thank you for asking, it's really nice of you but like I said to Mike, I don't know when I'm leaving town and making plans wouldn't be fair to you if I had to cancel on the last minute. Dances aren't really my thing anyway."

"Oh, well. That's too bad." He said.

"Yeah, anyway, I'll see you later."

"Okay." He said, his tone showing me that there were no hard feelings. He slouched off, as Edward chuckled lightly.

I walked back towards him and gave him a dirty look. "It's not funny."

"If you say so," he said sincerely, stopping the laughter but still retaining a smile. "And before I forget, I did have something I wanted to ask you."

"Hmm?"

"On the day of the spring dance," I didn't interrupt him because I knew there was no way he'd be asking me there. "I was planning on driving to Seattle that day and I was wondering if you would like to join me."

What?

"But..I..I…"

"If you end up having to leave before that date then that's perfectly fine. You don't have to worry about upsetting me by cancelling at the last minute if that's what you were worried about." He pressed on.

"But you don't want us to be friends, you…"

"I said it would be better if we weren't friends, not that I didn't want to be. So will you come with me to Seattle?"

What do you say when Edward Cullen asks you to spend the day with him? There's only one answer, "…Okay" My voice went up two octaves by the second syllable.

The whole reason I'd wanted to talk to him had been completely pushed from my mind by the enormous amount of white fog my brain was searching through just to make normal verbal sounds.

He smiled before becoming serious again, "You _really_ should…"

"Stay away from you, I know." I finished the sentence.

With a confused look and a brief nod, he turned on his heel and headed off towards the school buildings.

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**A/N: I'm not even going to wait before I get started on my next chapter. While I have the time, I'm going to jump in. I should be studying but oh well….Remember to review. I love reviews. : )**

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: Without even realising it Ashley has started to find herself falling for Edward, can she resist his charms knowing that sooner or later she'll have to leave him?**_

_**What will happen when she accepts an offer to go to the movies with Mike Newton? And more dramatic still, what will she do when a death of a Twilight character occurs?**_

_**Next Time. **_


	10. Lunch

**Disclaimer: I am over doing this almost every chapter. I don't own it, any of it. Take it all! (I'm kidding, of course).**

* * *

I sat through English puzzled. Why in the world would Edward want to go to Seattle with me? And why the hell did I forget to tell him I knew he was a vampire. Damn, I'm never going to get those stupid words out. It's all his fault, him and his penetrating eyes and make-you-stop-breathing breath. Mike was happy that the beach trip would be possible soon while Angela had asked Eric to the dance shortly after I'd turned him down. Both she and Jessica were very excited about the whole thing. I made a pact with me, myself and I not to tell them that both their dates had asked me to it.

I looked forward to lunch, hoping to get another glimpse of Edward from across the room. If we had been following the proper storyline, this would have been the lunch Edward sat with Bella. The one in which Bella was frustrated by his mysterious comments. It also happened to be the day blood testing happened in Biology which caused Edward to skip class. The difference would be that I, unlike Bella, don't have a problem in the slightest with the sight of blood. When nurses had taken blood from me in the past for blood tests and suggested I look away, I was always the one staring at the vile going, "Wow, that's my blood! Look how browny red it is!" and then experiencing ringing in my ears and a need to sit down from the loss.

I followed Jess to our lunch table, as I glanced over at the Cullen table. Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper were all sitting together and quietly talking amongst themselves. Edward, on the other hand, was missing. I knew what this must mean but it that didn't mean it surprised me any less. Looking around the room, my eyes found him. He was sitting alone.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you again," Jess said in my ear. Yes, I could clearly see that. Watching us both carefully, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips, he focused on me and winked. I resisted the urge to laugh. No-one had ever winked at me before. He motioned with his index finger to the seat across from him. Wow, I couldn't help but think. He really wants to have lunch with me. He mustn't hate me after all. Then again, he _had _asked me to Seattle.

"Does he mean you?" Jessica asked in astonishment.

"I think so," I said in equal wonder, "I better go and see what he wants."

I walked towards the table and then stood in front of the chair he'd gestured to, still unsure whether me eating with him was what he really wanted.

"Why don't you sit with me today?" he asked, a smile on his face.

I sat down quickly and then sat staring at him like an idiot. We both seemed to be waiting for the other person to speak. "Okay…this is umm…odd." I said, breaking the quiet that was starting to make me feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, well, I decided as long as I was going to hell,"

"You might as well do it thoroughly." I froze, realizing I shouldn't have done that. I just couldn't help it. These were lines I knew so well from the book that they simply…popped out.

"How do you keep doing that?" he asked in awe.

I made a face, "what?"

He shook his head in disbelief, "saying what I'm going to say before I say it."

I decided not to answer this question and my gaze was caught by the expressions on the faces of my friends across the room. Eric looked jealous and Mike appeared to be deciding between whether or not to come and break up the entire conversation.

"I think your friends are angry at me for stealing you."

"Somehow I think they'll go on." I rolled my eyes for what felt like the fiftieth time today.

"I may not give you back though," he said wickedly.

I remained impassive. I knew he'd give me back. If he held on to me, I knew he'd either get bored or sick of me very quickly.

"You don't look very worried." He watched my face.

I shrugged, "Should I be?"

"Yes,"

Trying to make the conversation go faster in order to get to what I really wanted to tell him and words I hadn't already heard a thousand times before, I began speaking quickly. "What brought this on? You know, lunch?"

"I got tired of trying to stay away from you, so I'm giving up." He explained.

"Giving up and just going to let the chips fall where they may."

He frowned, "You're doing it again. Saying what I'm going to say before I say it." Ignoring comments relating to my sort of precognition was getting easier. If I distracted Edward he wouldn't go back to it unless it came to mind again.

"Quick question, does this make us friends?" It was far from an obvious or silly question.

"Hmm…" he though carefully, "friends…I guess we can try, despite the fact that I always say too much when I'm talking to you."

"I would say that I have no idea what half the things you say mean, but that would be a lie." I said confidently.

The hard edge came back to his voice, "I don't understand many of the things you say and it frustrates me."

"Well, well, well. The tables sure have been turned." I said to myself quietly, amused.

He heard my words but not understanding them, chose not to ask me about them.

"Although, I'll remind you, I'm not a very good friend for you." He warned me.

"Yes, I understand that you'refirmly of that opinion."

"If you're smart, you'll avoid me."

"Generally I like to think of myself as not a stupid person but I've already made my mind up about this." I said with a smile.

"You're very confident about this aren't you? I just can't understand why. I wish you would explain some things to me but I doubt you would answer my questions if I asked."

"I could say the same for you." I took a large bite into an apple, trying to avoid dripping juice down my chin. That would not be good.

"I don't know why it is, but I get the feeling you know more then you let on." He mused.

This excited me more, "I could tell you more about that but every time I try you cut me off or somebody else does!" I exclaimed in frustration.

"Tell me now, I'm listening." He watched me intently as I looked around awkwardly, trying to find the right words again. I felt like I was on the spot, under an extremely bright light with everyone waiting for me to fall on my face.

"I know what you are," I said quietly and calmly. I didn't want anyone to overhear us.

"You've told me that twice before."

I sighed, "Yes, but I've never been able to elaborate."

He made a gesture with his hand, urging me to continue. "Well, I know that you're…not exactly human."

A series of emotions flickered across his face, surprise, anger, confusion, concern, curiosity. I continued, my voice sounding slightly higher than before. It hadn't occurred to me before, but now I was worried about how he would react.

"Edward, I know you're a vampire."

The realisation set in and I watched as his knuckles curled up into fists, the tendons on his arms standing out. We sat in silence, me watching him control his emotions. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. "Say something. Please, anything. This quiet is…is horrible."

"What do you want me to say?" he asked frostily. I felt taken aback. His tone hurt.

"Okay, I shouldn't have said anything." I got to my feet, my apple sitting on the table. I turned around to leave but stopped as his hand wrapped around my wrist tightly. He looked down at it, surprised himself at his sudden reaction.

"You don't have to leave, I just," he sighed, "I just need a minute." He released me, allowing me to sit down again. I sat in silence waiting for him to finish and after another minute his features smoothed out.

"So you figured it out." He said seriously.

"Well…ummm…no, not really," confusion now replaced passivity. I could understand why, I wasn't even making sense to myself. "I already knew what you were when I met you Edward." I said. I didn't know whether saying this was a good idea or not but while I was being honest I may as well let a few other things slide. I just had to be careful not to say too much.

"Then how?" he asked, worried.

I thought for a moment, choosing my words carefully. "Edward, do you want to spend time with me?" I asked all of sudden. This was what it came down to, this single question.

He sat for a moment, thinking, before nodding shortly. I took this as a yes. "Then there are some questions you can't ask me, and if you do ask them, I can't answer them."

"Why?" he looked more confused than ever.

"That's one of them." I told him weakly.

He ran a hand through his bronze hair in frustration, watching me intently. "Fine, you don't have to tell me. I'd like to know so maybe I'll get the chance to convince you to tell me in the future." He looked confident at this. I knew why, Edward's charms on Bella had usually gotten him what he wanted. No, Ashley, stay firm. Don't look into that pair of gorgeous golden…._eyes…_.. My eyes locked gazes with his and I began to feel my bones melt.

No, no, no! I cried mentally, looking away as quickly as possible.

"I don't think so."

"Why not?" He was still confident, that patronising smile of his back in place.

"Because personally Edward, I know you probably already think I'm a complete nutcase and you know what? You could be right, but I'm not ready for you to be carting me off to an institution _just _yet."

He grinned, "Nutcase? Hmm…I prefer to put it as a serious case of insanity."

I scowled. Me insulting my mental capacity and him doing it caused very different results.

"Thank you," I snapped, folding my arms. I wasn't taking it as hard as it looked. Generally, I don't take myself too seriously. I'll freely admit that I'm clumsy, talk a hell of a lot and have quite a few blonde moments – no offence to any blondes of course.

"Sorry, I apologize. That was rude."

"Don't worry about it, like I said. It's probably true." I smiled.

Turning serious again, he leaned forward across the table. "Ashley, you might think you know who and what I am but I don't want you forming expectations about me. What If I'm not the superhero? What if I'm the bad guy?"

I shook my head, "I do know who you are Edward and a bad guy is one thing you couldn't be further from." He looked into my eyes searching for the smallest piece of doubt, coming up empty handed.

We stared at each other for another moment or two before I realised that the lunchroom was almost empty. Damn. Did he always make time pass so quickly?

"I'm going to be late." I cried.

"Not we?" he asked.

"You're not going to class today. Blood typing," I blurted out without thinking.

He looked as though he was about to ask another question so I quickly reminded him about what I'd said before, "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies."

He leaned back, "Okay. I'll see you later then."

"Have fun and before you say it, yes I know it's healthy to ditch class now and then." God I loved this power. Leaving Edward confused most of the time had become an enjoyable sport.

Departing from the cafeteria and rushing down the hallway, I managed to make it on time. Mr. Banner had begun describing the process of finding out your blood type. Watching him move around I began to feel a clenching in my stomach.

You have got to be kidding me, not here, not now. Back home I was often the victim of stomach aches. My school bag was always loaded up with a variety of tablets in case of headaches, stomach aches and well those…ahem, tablets for one week out of the month. Don't get the idea that I'm a drug dealer or anything, I just like to be prepared. And no, I am not a hypochondriac.

"Oh…" I moaned softly under my breath. I could feel my muscles clenching and then unclenching again.

Mike leaned over after Mr. Banner had finished demonstrating on him.

"Ash, are you okay?" he asked, watching me shudder as a new wave took me.

"Not really," I pushed out in a gasp of breath.

"Is it the blood?" he asked.

I shook my head, "No," I stopped for a moment, "it's just a really bad stomach ache."

Mike put his hand up, "Mr. Banner!" he called out.

"Mike, no!"

I was not going to the school office. I would have no way to get home anyway and I refused to believe I had no choice in how this story turned out. Bella and I were very different people, I wasn't about to just follow the storyline as though everything came down to fate. I had a choice here!

"Ohhhh…" And I choose to go to the office.

"Mr. Banner, Ashley isn't feeling well." Mike ignored my previous protest.

Mr. Banner came over to my desk. "Are you feeling faint?" he asked.

"No, it's a stomach ache. I'm fine around blood." I explained.

"Can someone take Ashley to the nurse please?" Mr. Banner asked the class. Mike would offer, just like in the story. Then again, even if I didn't know that because of the novel, I would still assume it anyway.

Mike walked with me along the corridor while I kept my hands firmly on my stomach and froze every time the pain returned. We were walking past Building four when a worried, distant voice called my name. Oh damn, no.

"Ashley?"

No, no, no! Go away Edward! No!

"What's wrong – is she hurt?" he sounded upset and anxious.

"Her stomach's sore." Mike explained, clearly annoyed that Edward was here. Oh, get over it Mike.

"I'm taking her to the nurse," he continued.

"I'll take her. You can go back to class." The smile was clear in his voice. Ha, anything to annoy Mike. Edward had never liked Mike very much.

I ignored the last few exchanges of the conversation before starting walking again. I just had a stomach ache, I wasn't crippled. And no way was I going to let Edward pick me up and carry me there like he did for Bella in the book. Ha ha! Look at me now! I'm fighting fate! I'm changing things and doing them my own way!

"Hey!" I called out, feeling my legs swing out from under me. Edward had caught up to me and scooped me up in his arms like I weighed nothing. So much for fighting fate.

"Edward, put me down! I can walk!" I yelled.

"Hey!" Mike called from behind us, forgotten.

"You look awful," Edward whispered in my ear.

"Hey, you try getting a stomach ache and see how you look." I shot back before realising he didn't get sick. "Oh, wait. You don't get stomach aches." I slapped myself on the forehead.

"Don't do that, you need the brain cells." Edward scolded me. I had to laugh.

"Oh my," Mrs. Cope gasped as Edward brought me into the office.

He set me down on my feet where I clutched my stomach again. I wiped the sweat of my forehead as Mrs. Cope led me to a sick bed.

"Stomach ache," Edward explained to her.

"Just give me some Buscapan and I'll be up again in no time." I told her.

She frowned, "I'm sorry dear but we're not allowed to give you medication."

Why? Why me? "You'll just have to wait it out or go home." She said kindly.

I sighed and then moaned. "Aw, I've got gym this afternoon." I put my head in my hands and moaned again.

Mrs. Cope ran me some water and held it out in a paper cup. I downed it gratefully as my stomach lurched.

"I bet Mike hates you right about now," I told Edward.

"He absolutely loathes me," he said cheerfully. I laughed, as speak of the devil, Mike entered the room holding up another student who'd had problems with the blood.

I got up, freeing the bed for him.

My stomach pained again as I decided that I wanted to go Charlie's. They probably had tablets there and anything to get out of doing P.E. "Mrs. Cope, I'd like to go home if that's okay."

"Alright sweetheart, I'll sign you out for the day." She tended to Lee as both Edward and I left the office.

"Great, now I'll just have to wait for a bus or something." I complained.

Edward shook his head, "I'm not about to let you catch a bus when you're ill. I'll give you a ride."

"Oh, thanks."

I followed him over to his car and before I knew it, I was standing there in front of it, staring. My eyes felt like those googly ones you get on puppets. Edward's silver Volvo. I couldn't believe it. I was actually going to get to ride in Edward's beautiful silver Volvo.

"Ashley, are you going to get in?" he asked, looking at my odd expression of nostalgia.

"Err, yeah, sorry." I said, snapping out of it and hopping in.

I leant back against the seat and closed my eyes trying to ignore my stomach. "Clair de Lune," I whispered, breathing the words out as the stereo switched on. I didn't open my eyes to see if Edward was wondering how I knew what he'd been listening to.

"You like Debussy?" he asked.

I opened my eyes, conversation would help distract me but usually it didn't work. Most of the time when I was sick I didn't like to be distracted, more just left to my misery.

"I only know the one song. It was mentioned in a book I read so I downloaded it to have a listen. I ended up really liking it."

"Do you listen to much classical music?"

"Not really. I mean, I love piano pieces but there's really only one composer that I listen to religiously." I said.

He seemed to be interested by this. "Who?"

"He's a Korean composer, his name is Yiruma. Originally I downloaded one of his songs because it was rumoured to be used in a movie I was eager to see," eager, understatement of the year. I waited an entire year for Twilight to come to cinemas in Australia. "But it didn't end up being used, they wrote an original score for it. Still, I loved the song and ended up downloading a whole lot of his songs. Nowadays I probably have more Yiruma songs on my I-pod than Paramore."

"I've heard a few of his pieces. They're quite good." He agreed with me. It was nice to have someone who liked the same composer. I had yet to meet someone who enjoyed Yiruma music as much as I did. In one word it's simply…beautiful.

"Open up the glove box." He ordered me. Knowing that this was where he kept his car CD collection as opposed to his bedroom, I swung it open. "Pull out the case with the white spine in the middle of the second stack."

I did as I was asked. He then asked me to put the disk in the CD player. I smiled, listening as 'Kiss the rain' filled the inside of the car.

"Thanks," I said.

We sat for a moment as he drove quickly down the streets, drizzle hitting the windscreen. "Ashley," h e said, speaking over the piano in the background. "How old are you?"

I wasn't expecting this question. It surprised me that he didn't already know. "I'm fifteen but I'll be sixteen…wow, in just over a week actually."

I was even more shocked by just how quickly my birthday had arrived. When I got home, I'd finally be able to get my Ls and drive for the first time. I'd also have to pay extra for movie tickets. Other than that, being sixteen didn't really offer you all that much.

"What's the matter? You seem sad." He hands remained firmly on the wheel but his eyes were directly on me. I wasn't worried. Edward was a better driver than anyone I knew or would ever meet.

"It's nothing, I just realised how long I've been here and how long it's been since I've been…home." I shook it off not wanting to sound pathetic, as I always did when talking about home.

"Tell me about it."

I looked at his confused, "What?"

"Your home, tell me about it."

Okay…. "Well, umm….I live in the suburbs in Sydney. It's a double story brick house. It has a garage and a couple of years ago we got a semi in ground pool put in in the back yard. My room is blue and it has a sort of ocean theme to it, it's what I wanted when we first moved in."

I glanced up at him, expecting to see him rolling his eyes or bored but he wasn't. He was listening intently, like he actually cared.

"I have heaps of books, my mum refuses to throw out quite a few of my sister and my childhood books so they just sit in the hallway. Everyone in my family reads so our upstairs hallway is our sort of library. I've always wanted one of those enormous libraries. You know that scene in Beauty and the Beast where he gives her that huge library? Well, one day I want to have one of those. At the moment I'll settle for my bedroom bookcase and my hallway."

I laughed, Edward smiled.

"School?" he urged.

"It's about ten minutes away from my house by car and it's pretty big because it was once a university. Nowadays it's a school for years eleven and twelve only. It just focuses on preparing you for the HSC which is our year twelve exams in Australia. We have four periods a day, each go for an hour and fifteen minutes and I have a uniform to wear every day. If you don't wear it you get a uniform strike. Three and you get suspended or detention or whatever."

I took another look and him and laughed awkwardly. "This sounds so boring and stupid."

"No, I like hearing you talk about things that are important to you."

"Yeah, okay."

"What about your family? Pets? Friends? Boyfriend?" He threw the last word in casually. I didn't want to think too much into that one.

"My parents are still together, they're not divorced or anything. I have an eleven year old sister, her name is Chloe. I've only ever had one pet unlike most people. He's a dog, Sammy. Friends wise, I have quite a few both in and out of school and I've never had a boyfriend."

He was now again focused on the road. "Guys tend to date the girls who are more interesting and better looking than I am."

He looked angry at this, "Is that really what you think of yourself?" he asked sharply.

"What do you mean?" I was confused.

"That you're uninteresting and unattractive." He clarified.

"Well, I'm pretty boring and I'm not unattractive, I'm more...plain." I worded it carefully.

"You're wrong." He told me firmly.

My eyes widened at this comment. What?

It was then that the car stopped out the front of the Swan residence. I slid out carefully, watching him as I got the impression that he was regretting saying something so insightful into his own thoughts about me.

"Considering how you always seem to know everything, am I right in assuming that you already know I won't be at school tomorrow?" he grinned, lightening the mood as though his previous comment hadn't been said.

"Yes. Have fun…ahem, hiking."

"I can't ask how you know that can I?"

I shook my head.

"Have fun at the beach." He told me.

"How do you know about _that_?" I asked in surprise.

"I'm sorry but I can't answer that question." He grinned, happy to finally have the power when it came to questions and answers.

"Very funny. Okay, I'll let you have that one." I closed the door and walked around the front of the car. He rolled down his window as I passed.

"Ashley, one more thing,"

"Hmm?"

"Try not to walk into anything." He looked down at my knee. Damn, I'd thought I'd gotten away with walking into that biology stool the other day.

I rolled my eyes before heading swiftly up the drive. I paused on the porch, watching as he drove away, my previous stomach ache forgotten.

It was only later that my happiness was dispelled by a phone call from Jessica telling me that Tyler had passed away during the late afternoon. Happiness was replaced by sadness, sadness by guilt and a quietness that filled the house until Charlie returned that evening.

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**A/N: Sorry, yes it was long. I just kind of kept writing and writing. Keep the reviews coming, and thanks for commenting on how much you're enjoying the story. It's always nice to hear that readers like an author's writing.**

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: A beach trip, a memorial to a friend and Ashley makes an introduction to the Twilight series' other leading man.**_

_**Next Time. **_


	11. Jacob Says Hello

**Disclaimer: Characters, locations, concepts – Stephenie Meyer**

**Story idea- Lost in Austen creator. **

**Everything else – ME**

**A/N: Ha ha, weekend! Writing time! I like it. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

It wasn't surprising when Mike called that night to cancel our beach trip. Going out to have fun at the beach was probably the last thing everyone felt like doing after we'd found out the news. A funeral was being put together and would be held on Sunday. Everyone was welcome to attend. I hated the crying and the pure depressing atmosphere of funerals but I also believed that I didn't deserve to be there considering how it was my fault he was gone. I had screwed up this story and it was my fault. Even though these characters were fictional, they had now become more real to me than many of the people I had met in real life. It didn't mean that they weren't _people_.

Trying to keep myself occupied, to avoid thinking about my guilt, I cleaned, cooked, read and did more than was expected of me in terms of home-work. In some ways I was slightly disappointed about the beach trip. True it wasn't appropriate after Tyler's death but I couldn't help but feel like I was missing out on my chance to meet Jacob. Oh well. Time would tell.

"I heard about Tyler Crowley," Charlie commented when he got home the evening I received the news. I nodded solemnly. "He may have gone through his share of trouble but he was a good kid. He didn't deserve to die the way he did."

"I feel bad for his family. This must be horrible for them."

"Were you close?" he asked.

In truth, no we weren't but that didn't mean I didn't care whether he was dead or alive. "Not really, we were more like acquaintances." Watching his face, I continued, "But I still wish he'd avoided that ice slick."

We ate the rest of our meal in silence. This was the usual but somehow this quiet had a whole new meaning. One in which the both of us had a great many things on our minds.

School the next day was filled much with the same atmosphere despite the warmer and sunnier weather. Everyone knew everybody here so losing someone appeared to effect the entire student population.

Jessica chose a different approach to the loss. In a way, I was appreciative of it. She was trying to continue moving, to allow us to regain some sense of normality. The only problem was that her idea of another subject just happened to be Edward and I.

"So what did Edward Cullen want yesterday?" she asked, eager for details after an entire lesson of boring trigonometry. I couldn't blame her.

"I don't know. It wasn't anything important. He more just talked around in circles." Hmmm…that was one way of putting it.

"Really? You both looked a little…mad." She added on.

Oh right, when I told him I knew what he was. "Just a misunderstanding," I left her with.

"You know, I've never seen him sit with anyone but his family before. That was weird."

"You're telling me," I whispered under my breath before merely saying, "Yeah, weird." to her.

Not being able to look forward to seeing him today was also disappointing but that didn't stop me from keeping an unconscious eye on the other members of the Cullen Family. Alice Cullen seemed to have an interest in me as well, one that I hadn't noticed up until now. I wondered what it was that she was seeing in my future or Edward's for that matter.

I ignored Lauren making a spiteful comment about why I don't just sit with the Cullens now, Mike defending me, blah, blah, blah. I've heard it all before and it's pretty inconsequential as far as I'm concerned.

That afternoon I was given the biggest shock I'd had in a while. When I arrived back at Charlie's an unfamiliar car was sitting in the drive beside Charlie's police cruiser. He was clearly already home, but why? Who else was here?

I headed up the drive and swung open the front door. I left my bag in the hall before following the sounds of conversation emitting from the living room.

Sitting in an armchair was Charlie, beside him, watching the television was another man. I'd never met this him before, but his identity was unmistakable.

"Oh, Ashley," Charlie noticed me standing in the doorway. "This is a friend of mine, Billy Black. Billy lives down on the La Push reservation."

"Hi," I said brightly.

"And this is his son Jacob. He's about your age." Another person stepped into the room from the kitchen, causing a wide smile to spread out across my face. Jacob Black. Well, well. What do you know?

"Hey," Jacob said warmly.

"Ashley is a friend of Bella's. She's been staying with me while she's on student exchange here. Bella's in Australia." Charlie explained briefly.

"Student exchange eh? How's that working out for you?" Billy asked, shooting me a smile equally as warm as Jacob's greeting.

"Fine, thanks, it's a nice change." I began heading toward the kitchen. For no reason whatsoever, I was starved. "Charlie, do you want anything?" I asked, remembering my manners towards my host. "Billy? Jacob?" And guests.

"I'm alright thanks Ash, Billy?" Charlie turned to ask Billy.

"I'm right." Billy shook his head.

I headed past Jacob into the kitchen. He followed as the chatter in front of the TV picked up again.

"It's Ashley, right?" Jacob checked, watching me bustle around the kitchen to make some cream cheese on crackers as an afternoon snack.

"Mmhmm," I nodded, shoveling crackers in. Jacob laughed at my lack of courtesy.

"Sorry, bad habit. I've always talked with my mouth full." I spoke clearly, swallowing the mouthful in one large gulp. "I can actually talk through an entire slice of bread squished into my mouth but my mum says that that's not something I should brag about." Jacob laughed harder at this.

"Can't everyone do that?" Jacob asked to my surprise.

"Oh no, this is an acquired skill." I shook my head. "Just like tripping over the same object twice within the space of five minutes."

"Well, I bet I can do it better than you can." He was confident about this.

Eager to accept the challenge I smiled, "Really now? Fine then, you're on." I hurried over to the fresh packet of bread I'd left on the counter earlier and pulled out two thick slices. I handed one to Jacob and then waited.

"Okay, on the count of three." I said.

"One, two…" he began.

"Three," At this we both shoved the piece of bread into our mouths until it fit fully inside. I had to resist the urge to laugh at Jacob's enlarged cheeks.

"Rwght, see!" He said, muffled by the bread.

"Swre, 'nd jus when I taut I wuz special." I pushed out.

At this moment Charlie walked into the kitchen to get another can of beer. He froze when he caught sight of Jacob's and my puffed up faces.

"Okay, I'm _not_ going to ask." He said as he walked to the fridge, grabbed a can and left as quickly as possible. The moment he exited, Jacob and I swallowed our bread and burst out laughing.

"Well, that was…interesting." Jacob choked out between chuckles.

"Definitely," I went back to making more cheese crackers before Jacob started the conversation up again.

"So you're fifteen?"

"Yep, just like you." Wait, be careful Ashley. Let's not be all weird like we were when meeting Edward. He already thinks you're crazy. Let's not have the same effect on Jacob. Before you know it, both werewolves and vampires will be putting you on the hit list in the near and not so distant future. Then again, Jacob still had quite a few months before the whole werewolf change.

"Cool. Are you liking Forks?" Hmmm…tricky question.

"Yeah, it's good apart from the weather, car accidents and fact that I have to walk all the way to the closest Thrifty store which isn't exactly close."

He smiled. "You should come down and visit me in La Push sometime, less warm and fuzzy that Forks."

"Warm and fuzzy, huh? Maybe, you guys _have_ got some pretty cool legends."

"Oh, you've heard some of our tribal stories?" This surprised and interested him.

"I've read about some, yeah." Technically true.

"Which ones?"

Oh dear, "Umm…the one about how you guys are descended from wolves, the spirit warriors and one or two about err….vampires."

I had expected him to go quiet at this one but instead he grinned, "They're pretty stupid aren't they? Cold ones, wolves..."

"Yeah, stupid," I shook off the fact that I knew they were true. Jacob was yet to find out this small piece of information.

"Jacob," Billy called out. "We're leaving."

"Already?" I asked. Jacob looked happy at my reaction.

"Afraid so," He grinned at me. "But we'll see each other soon right?" behind the causality there was hope. He was clearly looking forward to it as much as I was. I could see why Bella called him her personal sun. Jacob had this sort of aura that brightened up a room without him even knowing it. It was a very nice feeling.

"You betcha," I said positively.

I followed him back into the living room and out into the front yard where Charlie was helping Billy out of his chair and into their car. Jacob rushed over quickly to help him. There wasn't much I could do but stand there while they did this.

When Billy was sitting comfortably, Jacob hopped in and wound down the window. "Thanks Charlie, Ashley." Billy said, nodding at us. "Come down and visit us sometime soon. We'd love to have you. I'm sure Jacob would too," He winked at Jacob blushed slightly. How cute.

"Yeah, yeah, let's get going. Nice seeing you Charlie, see you Ashley." He said as the car pulled out of the drive and headed up the street.

That night my head was filled with unusual dreams, ones that blended together characters from life, from stories, scenes I'd pictures, creating a serious of extremely confusing events. My brain often worked this way while I was asleep. One day I'd be dreaming about dinosaurs taking over my school, meteors flying from the sky while skeletons with swords held up students in their classrooms and the next I'd be having a conversation with Robert Pattinson walking along a city street until I turn away and all of a sudden he'd be dressed in an Easter bunny suit – I did tell you my mind worked in strange ways.

This dream featured many people. Edward was there, as beautiful as ever and Jacob, grinning and looking like sunlight was actually shining out of the core of his being, literally. Apart from that I couldn't remember much when I woke up the next morning.

Having woken up slightly early and unable to get back to sleep, I decided to get on the internet and on a whim, search for the Vampire A-Z website Bella had found when researching vampires. It would be interesting to read about all the different types of legends throughout history and from different cultures.

Pop up after pop up appeared on my screen but finally I found the website. The rest of my morning until I forced myself to get dressed and start my essay for English was spent reading.

On Monday, to my disbelief the entire town of Forks was covered in a bright layer of sunlight. It shone on my hair, reminding me of the golden colour it turned when under natural light. I breathed in the nice weather, enjoying it as much as possible before it was soon disappear, most likely tomorrow.

Edward would definitely not be at school today, damn. I'd been looking forward to seeing him.

When I got to school, I found myself a prime place in the yard on a table right under the light. I read for a short minute before Mike found me, dressed in a rugby shirt and shorts. Gosh, it might be sunny but it wasn't exactly beach weather.

"Hey Ash, how's it going?" he asked cheerfully.

"Good. Great weather isn't it?"

He nodded in agreement, "Yeah. It's a nice change, we don't get many days like this here."

I smiled, "I've noticed."

"What'd you do this weekend?"

"Mostly just worked on that essay we have for English."

He looked worried, probably forgotten to do it. "That's due Thursday, right?"

"Wednesday actually," I corrected him.

"That's not good. I better get working on that later." He frowned at the idea of it. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out," he continued. Damn, damn, damn.

"Oh, right."

"We could go grab dinner or a movie or something."

"Mike, I don't think we should…"

"Just as friends," He added on.

I sighed, you couldn't say no to someone when they were asking to do something as friends. Fine, who could it hurt. Maybe I'll try to get some of the others to go to make it less date sounding.

"Okay, just a movie. I don't want to hurt Jessica's feelings." I told him.

He looked confused. "Jessica?"

How stupid can you get? She likes you you idiot! "Mike, honestly. Can't you see it?"

"Oh," he exhaled, dazed. Finally!

"Maybe you should ask her out. Anyway, I have to ask, how was the funeral?" the change came over Mike very quickly. The sunny outlook dampened slightly and his features froze up.

"It was…good to be able to say goodbye. Nice service." He said briefly. Not wanting to continue the subject I decided to end the conversation.

"I'm sorry Mike, I've got to go or I'll be late for class. I'll talk to you later."

Later that day, I made sure I mentioned to the others about Mike's and my movie plans. I didn't want anyone finding out and thinking I was keeping it a secret or something. Plus, it gave me the chance to invite the others and make it sound more casual and friend based. Jessica was okay with it, thank goodness, Lauren was a pain as usual and the others said that they were too busy to go out tonight. Jess did talk about going shopping for dresses for the spring dance. I commented that I wanted to come – I'd always loved shopping – so Jess postponed the trip until tomorrow. Thank god Lauren was busy. I couldn't take hours of her sniping continuously.

The only problem about this was that knew they were planning to go to Port Angeles. I was curious as to how this would turn out with no Bella and no Edward following her. It would probably just be a boring evening with dinner just the girls at Bella Italia – squeal! Oh well, at least knowing the book would stop me from getting attacked by those guys.

I spoke to Mike in the afternoon, convincing him to ask out Jessica for this evening instead of going to the movies with me. Finally, he agreed not so enthusiastically, leaving me with a gushing Jess for the rest of the day. Still, I couldn't complain, this was how the story was supposed to be.

I remembered to ask Charlie about whether or not I'd be able to go out with Jess and Angela the next evening even though he wasn't my parent. It was done purely out of respect and asking someone's permission out of habit.

"But you're not going to the dance, right?"

"No, but I'm helping them find dresses."

"Who's them?"

"Jessica Stanley and Angela Webber," I filled in.

"Well, alright. Jess is giving you a ride?" he checked, knowing I couldn't drive. "I'm not about to let you get on a bus to Port Angeles by yourself."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, Jess is giving me a ride."

"Then it's okay with me. Just make sure you're not out too late, it's a school night." Thanks pseudo parental figure.

"You'll be right for dinner, won't you?" I checked.

"I was feeding myself for years before you or Bella got here, I can take care of myself." He reminded me but not unkindly.

"Okay, if you say so."

The rest of the night went smoothly except for one moment at a later hour in which I was just about to get ready for bed. I'd been about to removed my clothes in order to get changed into my pajamas when a crash sounded from outside my window. The sort of noise made by garbage cans. I rushed over to the window and looked outside but by that time all I could see was a set of disappearing headlights flying up the street.

The next night I was eager to get out of the house and do something different for a change. Going from home to school to home every single day was boring. I needed something…more. I changed quickly once I got home from school, grabbed one of Bella's small purses and rushed out front as soon as Jessica pulled up. I smiled brightly – ready to see how my own Port Angeles sequence of events played out – as we drove quickly out of the Fork's town limits

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A/N: Guess what guys. I was hoping to make the 100 reviews mark on my last chapter but it didn't happen. As it is I'm at 98. Very disappointed. Anyway, sorry that this chapter wasn't so big on the interesting but the introduction of Jacob was needed. Ashley cannot go to Forks and not meet Jacob. It just isn't done. Okay, remember to review and get me up to that big one-oh-oh and over. Let me know your thoughts, predictions and how you like the story.

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: Ashley arrives in Port Angeles. She knows how things here are supposed to play out but will things change or will she aid them in following the same course? **_

_**More importantly, will Edward be there to save her?**_

_**Next Time.**_


	12. Port Angeles

**Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, locations and some of the lines and concepts. Some belong to Stephenie Meyer others to whoever created Lost in Austen, how it's been worked and worded is me. **

**A/N: It's been a while, enjoy. ( + Thank you to all of you who helped me to reach 100 reviews and more. Your wonderful!)**

**And in advance, sorry for the whole girly shopping thing at the beginning, I couldn't resist. **

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On entry, I could clearly see just how different Port Angeles was to Forks. It was still cloudy and wet but as far as urbanisation went, things were slightly more advanced up here. Then again, it was no city.

We drove into the center of town and parked the car before having a wander around. Angela noticed a promising formal dress store about five minutes in. I sat for the next hour or so, watching them try on dress after dress. I helped pick gowns out as well as gave my opinion. Both girls were appreciative for the criticism and compliments. The afternoon proved quite enjoyable for me. At one point Jess and I were flicking through a rack when I came across a white dress. It was long, silky and had one of those high, round collar bands that cut across your collar bone as well as the top of your back. Basically it meant no cleavage and didn't extenuate my chest size or make me and my curves look like a giant blob. My eyes brightened at it as I stared for a moment. Jess and I both stared before finally I made myself keep shifting through.

"What are you doing? That dress is awesome." Jess pulled the gown off the rack and held it up in front of me.

"Jess, I don't need a dress nor can I afford one. We're here for you guys, not me."

"So what? It doesn't mean you can't try it on." She argued.

I sighed, "Come on, please." Jess continued.

"Come on Ashley, we want to see how it looks." Angela chipped in.

"Fine, two against one," I said as I took the dress and headed into the dressing room.

I pulled off my clothes and lightly tugged the silky fabric on over my head before zipping up the side. I looked at my back in the mirror. There was a small tear shape cut out of the back, showing skin. Looking at my front, I had to smile. It looked nice and it made me feel great. Extraordinary to my normal plainness.

Taking a deep breath, I walked out into the store. Jess smiled, "Oh my god, you so should buy it!" she squealed.

"It looks great Ash," Angela agreed.

I rolled my eyes, "Thanks guys, but like I told you, no money and no place to wear it."

"Ashley, I don't even get why you're not coming to the dance." Jess complained. "You don't look like you're flying out of here in a hurry and it's less than a week away. Come, it'll be great. Maybe you could ask…ahem….Edward." she added subtly.

"Ha, ha. Very funny Jess. I wouldn't have the nerve to ask Edward Cullen anywhere, let alone to the school dance," catching sight of her face, I remembered my most important point, "and besides, I'm not going anyway."

"Oh, fine. Just so you know, you're missing out here."

"Somehow I'll survive." I commented sarcastically.

By the time both girls had picked out their dresses and a matching pair of shoes, it was getting a little darker, cooler and my stomach was starting to grumble.

"So, we all up for dinner?" Jess asked, as we left the store.

"Sure," Angela said as I nodded.

"Oh, wait. Before we go to dinner, there's this cool clothing store I saw when we drove in. It's only a few streets away. Why don't you guys grab a table and I'll meet you there." I suggested.

"Is it that Forever twenty-one store or whatever?" I nodded, "Yeah, it did look cool, mind if I come along?"

"Guess not, Ange?" I looked at Angela.

"I'm kind of all shopped out, why don't I go get us a table and you meet me at the restaurant when you're done?"

"Sound good," At this, Jess and I took off down one side of the street, Angela in the other direction, heading for Bella Italia.

I felt confident in my decision to walk to the store. I wasn't wandering around aimlessly looking for a bookstore or in an area which looked isolated like Bella had been in the book. Besides, I had Jess with me, strength in numbers.

We walked briskly through the streets in the direction I thought the store was in. It was only after about fifteen minutes when I realised I had no idea where we were. The streets had gotten quieter and there were a whole lot less people around, basically none. Many of the stores in the area were closed for the evening or just empty, ominous looking buildings. Jess was looking less enthused about our situation than I was.

"Ash, where are we?"

I frowned, "I have no idea, I thought we were heading the right way but I'm not so sure anymore." I shook my head, a little worried. This was not looking good.

Breathe Ashley, breathe. Everything's going to be fine.

We walked for a few more minutes, the light becoming less and the streets becoming more threatening. It was then that I noticed them. There were five men, dressed in a grungy way and holding beer bottles. They were joking around, lightly but I got the impression that they were drunk. I could feel Jess freeze beside me.

Eager to get out of here, I pointed to a passage to our left. We headed down it just as the men looked up to watch our movements.

It took me even less a time to hear the distinct sound of light chatter and heavy footsteps following us down the side street. I couldn't help but wonder whether I really had no control over this story. No matter what I did and who I was, everything still seemed to play out just as it would but with small changes. That is, apart from Tyler who had been lost because of these small changes.

We walked quicker, Jess struggling to keep calm. I was doing a better job but only because I was running through every Tae-kwon-do move I'd ever done that could be used if the need came about. Back fist, snap kick, crescent kick, knife-hand side-strike….

"It's okay Jess, we'll be fine."

Low, middle, high section blocks, axe kick…

I looked over my shoulder. Noticing that the men had finally disappeared, I exhaled. My brain stopped firing away so quickly.

"We're fine, come on. Let's just move this way." We walked quickly up the passage until we reached an opening. Catching sight of who was waiting for us, I stopped dead, my spine suffering from a series of cold shivers.

The other three men from the group were waiting for us just as the two men from before came around the corner from behind.

"There you are," one of the men called loudly.

I ushered Jess out of the passage. Better to have space then to be cornered in this small and restrictive space.

We were on a street and I could see the signs of a more occupied area just a little way down from where we were. I could make a run for it but Jess, Jess seemed to be rooted in place out of pure terror.

Palm heel, side kick, turning kick, elbow strike… The move ideas picked up again.

Slowly the men crowded around us, making inappropriate gestures and words directed towards us. I stepped closer to Jess, her eyes wide in fear.

One of the men reached out and grabbed my arm. I pulled it out of his grasp before speaking, "Don't touch me," Another one of the men had started to bother Jessica. I directed my next comment towards him, "Touch her and you'll be sorry." I warned him. He reached out and gripped her, just as I launched towards him and kicked him directly in the stomach. He crumpled beneath my foot. A feeling of adrenaline coursed through me. I'd never actually purposely hit someone in an attempt to cause them pain before. But this was self defence, the reason my parents had been so happy I'd been learning these things. So if this ever happened, I'd be able to defend myself.

The other men weren't happy with this. Two of the other grabbed my wrists and using a technique I'd learned in class, I side kicked one and then the other once the first had let go of my wrist.

I looked down at the ground, realising that Jessica had passed out. Great, thanks Jess.

Even though I was fighting, I was frightened out of my mind. There were five of these men and one of me. Plus, they were all bigger and stronger than I was.

One of the other men grabbed me again and before I could push him off, a blow to the face struck me. I cried out, while several more pairs of hands took me and forced me to the ground.

I thrashed and screamed but it didn't deter them. So this was how it was going to end. They were going to rape me and leave me here in the street.

I turned my head to the side just as a familiar pair of headlights swung around the corner, sending my heart into a blur beats. Oh my god, he came for me.

The silver Volvo squealed to a stop as close as possible to us without actually hitting anyone. Edward got out of the drivers seat in a flash of movement, his expression more terrifying than anything I'd ever seen. This was rage, pure and utter fury. He walked towards the group, staring down at them menacingly.

He growled as the men sprung to their feet in fear, as they rightly should have. Slowly they backed away until finally, all of them made a run for it.

I got slowly to my feet, holding a hand to my eye where the man had hit me. He looked at me, still furious. "Get in," he ordered as he moved to Jessica and picked her up in his arms. I walked to the passenger's seat of the car and got in without complaint as he lightly placed Jessica across the backseat.

I sat frozen, staring down at my hands. One of the knuckles was grazed from when I'd been forced down onto the ground and my face was killing me. Amongst the fear and adrenaline, there was also relief, relief that I was okay and relief that Edward had saved my life.

Suddenly I found the Volvo moving and scenery flying past my window at an alarming rate. "Put on your seat belt," Edward commanded.

I did this without thinking, my expression still blank. Shock, how could this have happened? Everything was going fine. It wasn't supposed to happen to me…

Despite my oddness of emotions, I still felt safe. I always felt safe with Edward, he had saved me.

"Edward," I choked out. "Calm down, please." I told him.

If this comment surprised him, he didn't show it. He kept driving until we had left town. Jessica was still fainted on the backseat. All of a sudden Edward pulled over on the side of the road.

"Ashley," He said, his voice controlling the anger he was feeling. I knew what he wanted to do, go back and kill those men but he wouldn't. I knew he wouldn't.

"Yes," I said, my voice still without emotion.

"Are you alright?" He didn't look at me, his eyes focused on something through the windshield.

"I think so," I realised that I was still holding my eye. He noticed this and an angry twinge passed through his features.

"Distract me please. Prattle on about something unimportant until I calm down."

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, ready to listen to whatever I decided to come up with. Unfortunately my mind was blank except for what I'd been thinking about before.

"I'm a blue belt in Tae-kwon-do. There are twenty-six movements in my pattern and I had been planning to go to grading to go up to the next level when I came here. I know how to do a variety of kicks, kicks aren't so bad but I always seem to take skin of my knuckles when I try to punch." Talking about fighting probably wasn't the best idea when trying to calm Edward down.

"You've been doing this for a while?" he asked, becoming more composed.

"Over two years."

Edward sighed and then opened his eyes.

"Calmer?"

"Not really," He didn't speak again and silence filled the car.

"Edward, I know you've got a problem with your temper but it wouldn't be helpful to go back there and do what I know you want to do. If you are going to do something, go about it the right way. Carlisle will help you."

He looked up stunned as always by half the things that popped out of my mouth. "Jess and I were supposed to be meeting Angela but I don't really think that dinner's on the cards for us after what….happened." I resumed my blank stare.

Edward looked worried.

The Volvo swung into motion, flying down the street. After a few twists and turns we ended up right in front of the restaurant. Angela was waiting out front looking concerned. Jessica has groggily sat up in the back and was now looking around her in dismay.

"What's going on?" she said, noticing Edward.

"I suggest that you go and speak to Angela." Edward told me. I nodded and then hopped out of the car. My first step was a bit shaky but after that I remained confident. "Ange!" I called. She had been pacing and trying to ring us on her mobile.

She looked up, relieved. "Where have you guys been? I thought something horrible might have happened to you."

"We ran into a couple of guys…it got a little...." I couldn't think of a way to describe what had happened. Hundreds yes, but one single word that Angela could understand, no.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked panicked again.

"We're okay. Jess is a bit stunned I think." I turned around and saw Jessica getting out of Edward's car. Edward was following close behind, probably because she looked like she was either about to pass out again or throw up on the pavement.

"Luckily enough Edward was passing by. He got us out of there before anything happened." I explained, unable to stop a shiver running down my spine.

"Angela, I suggest that you give Jessica a ride home. She's been through quite a lot this evening." Edward told her as he reached us, Jess swaying by his side.

"I'm fine," Jessica pushed out quietly.

"Jess, go home. Get some rest." I told her.

She frowned slightly, "What about you?"

"I'll be okay." I told her. My stomach had begun to grumble.

"Do you mind if I drive Ashley home tonight? I think she should have some food. I would recommend it to you Jessica but you don't look in the as though you are in the position to keep it down." His words were calm but still somehow sympathetic. Despite this, I could still see he had yet to fully get passed his previous anger. He was probably just itching to get out there and find those guys.

"Okay, I'll drive Jess home. See you tomorrow Ashley…Edward." Angela said as she slowly helped Jessica down the street towards the car.

I walked up the stairs to the restaurant behind Edward, staring at my feet. I was in the process of wondering why it was that I wasn't having a complete breakdown like Jess. I appeared to be almost perfectly normal. Yet, underneath this was an odd feeling, like something was off or being…suppressed.

Not wanting to dwell on it or even think about what had happened, I waited quietly as Edward got us a table and we were led by the host. Like in the story, Edward declined the table and tipped her in exchange for a more secluded one. I wasn't in the position to comment or care.

"How's this?" she asked, offering the new table.

"Perfect," Edward shot her his gleaming smile, dazzling her for a moment. It took her a few seconds to compose herself before telling us that our server would be there soon and departed.

"Now I understand why she calls it dazzling people." I muttered to myself under my breath.

Edward looked at me, "Dazzling?" he echoed.

"Come on, you know how you affect people, otherwise you wouldn't get what you wanted so often."

"I dazzle people?" he continued.

"Mmhmm," I nodded.

"Do I dazzle you?" I had been expecting this question but how I would answer it was another matter.

"Err…look, Amber." I said brightly, as Amber the waitress appeared by our table.

"Hello, my name is Amber, and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?" she said quickly, her eyes not leaving Edward. Hello! I'm over here!

Edward on the other hand, immediately looked at me. Well duh, he's not about to be eating or drinking anything.

"Sprite please," Ah, my favourite soft drink.

Two Sprites," he said.

"I'll be right back with that," she shot Edward a smile which I rolled my eyes at then wished I hadn't. Edward had seen and was wearing an amused look.

"What?"

"How are you feeling?" he asked, diverting attention away from me asking him about his emotions.

"I'm okay," I breathed out, feeling very tired all of a sudden. I was trying to block out the throbbing feeling around my eye. How I was going to explain the black eye to Charlie or anyone else, I had no idea. I'd never even fainted before, let alone had a black eye.

Edward, as though sensing where my thoughts were going, fixed his gaze on the area in question. "You need some ice." He stated without emotion. The anger was seeping back in slowly.

Amber reappeared with the drinks and a bread basket. Setting them both on the table, she pulled out a notebook and flipped a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Are you ready to order?" she asked, her eyes finally catching sight of my eye. I didn't have a clue how it looked at that moment but whatever it was seemed to unnerve her just the slightest bit.

"Ashley," Edward waited.

"Mushroom ravioli please," I wasn't in the mood to go eenie meanee minee mo on the menu this evening. I told the waitress this without even looking at the menu.

She scribbled it down quickly. "And you?" she smiled.

Edward shook his head graciously, "Nothing for me." Oh really? Didn't see _that_ one coming.

"Let me know if you change your mind," she began to leave but Edward cut in again with another glance at my face.

"Actually, you wouldn't happen to have an ice pack or ice cubes you could put in a bag would you?"

Amber looked at my eye and nodded. "I'll be back in a moment." She told him.

Without waiting for any talk, I reached for my Sprite and began downing it. The bubbles stung my throat and tickled my nose. Not wanting to go through it too quickly and have to order more, I stopped about half way.

I shivered again, feeling the cold liquid pass through my body. Edward frowned, "Are you cold?"

"I'm fine," I said. Ignoring me, he began shrugging out of his jacket. Edward, for crying out loud, save this stuff for Bella. Don't waste it all on me.

"Edward, I'm okay, really." He held the jacket out, giving me a look.

I sighed, before giving in and taking the jacket. He looked relieved.

Sliding in my arms the only thing running through my mind was, whatever you do, don't smell it. You'll look like a freak. My nose began itching, just wanting to inhale, to see what he smelt like. Bella always went on about how good he smelt.

Ashley, don't do it. Half breathe in. Don't you dare! Oh, screw this. I breathed in heavily but still trying to look nonchalant.

Oh, that smells….wonderful.

He was looking at me oddly but I didn't think it was about sniffing his jacket. "Edward, stop worrying. I'm okay…well, except for my eye which kind of hurts like hell but other that that, ay ok."

He wasn't happy at the mention of my eye, "You should be going into shock. Most normal people would be." He shook his head, unsettled.

"Can we not talk about this anymore, I don't-I just…" I trailed off. Bad images, not ones I wanted to deal with just yet. I wasn't Bella, super repressive Bella, but I was doing my best. I refused to have a breakdown in front of Edward Cullen.

"If that's what you want."

Changing the subject but not completely deviating from the story, I spoke again. "You seem to be focusing on negative emotions a lot tonight considering how light your eyes are tonight. Been feeding regularly these days?"

"I wish you wouldn't do that," he flinched.

"What?" I felt confused.

"Speak about things that I have no idea how you found out about me."

I laughed, "If that freaks you out, then I better not mention the other stuff." _This_ got him interested.

"What else do you know?" he asked.

"Let's just pretend I don't know, me telling you could make things weird."

He smiled, "More unusual then a human girl having dinner with a vampire?"

"Technically you're not eating so we're not having dinner together but, yes, more unusual than that." I smiled back.

"Although, now that we're forgetting, hypothetically, if I _did_ know these things, I would have a few questions." I thought about this for a moment. This was a chance most Twilight fans would dream about. The opportunity to ask Edward any questions they wanted. Here I was, and I was taking it.

But, what exactly did I want to know? I couldn't ask about anything that had yet to happen or hadn't happened because of my being here but every else, it was open.

"Questions," he repeated, still amused.

"Yes,"

"Of course,"

"Here's the ice you wanted," Amber had arrived back with my food and an icepack in her hand. Edward gestured to me. I held out my hand and took it from her before swiftly holding it up to my eye and shuddering and the cold hit my skin.

She placed the dish in front of me and then turned to Edward, "Did you change your mind? Isn't there anything I can get you?" Double entendre much? Yes, we all know you want to leave your number for him on a napkin. I _have_ read the Midnight Sun draft.

"No thankyou, but I appreciate the ice."

She returned his smile before departing again.

"Well, go ahead." He told me, his voice showing a little strain.

I had to ask this one. I knew it was exactly what Bella had asked him first in this situation but I really wanted to know. "Why are you in Port Angeles? Be honest." A smirk appeared. The I-finally-have-the-power-of-information smirk.

"Next,"

"Oh, come on. It's a simple question." I protested.

"Next," he repeated annoyingly.

Looking down, I dug my fork into my ravioli and began shovelling it in. I'd had this habit for some time now, the bad habit of stuffing food in my mouth even though I hadn't finished chewing or swallowing the last mouthful. My friends had found it amusing to try and get me to eat half a sandwich in two bites. I managed it, of course.

"Fine," I said thinking of a more interesting question, "Can you tell me what some of the people in here are thinking?" I asked eagerly.

He raised an eyebrow. "You know about that _too_?"

"Hypothetically remember." I grinned, shovelling more food in.

Rolling his eyes, he pointed to a man on the other side of the room, "That man is currently worrying about a business proposal he has to put forward tomorrow morning," He eyes shifted to a teenage couple up the back, "It's not hard to guess what the male of the two is thinking, the girl is currently wondering if she should get a hair cut."

"And just when I thought you were going to go Money, sex, money, sex, cats." I joked before realising he'd have no idea what that meant. Whoops, book to movie mix up.

Edward decided to let this one side.

"How did you find me Edward? I'm not beating around the bush anymore. Why are you here in Port Angeles?" I reverted back to the previous question.

Clearly deciding to take a leap of faith and let his thoughts and emotions show, Edward sighed. "I followed you to Port Angeles. After the accident with that school bus, your constant habit for walking into things and saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, it made me anxious to allow you to merely walk around here on your own."

"I can take care of myself," I scoffed.

"What did I ask you to do for me before I left the Swan house?" he reminded me.

"Not to walk into anything and I didn't," he gave me a look. "Oh, my knees, right. Okay, look it's not like I meant to trip over my shoes. Anyone could do it…one, two…three times within the space of five minutes." I admitted.

Edward shook his head, "I really am trying to fight fate here," he said as he looked at the ceiling.

"Well, I was just fine back home in Australia. I've never passed out, never broken a bone…"

"Your number wasn't up when you were back home." He told me seriously.

"And it is here?" I laughed. "Edward, trust me. I'm not in any more danger here than I am at home." I assured him.

He shook his head, "Most of the time you make it seem like you know what you're talking about and then you go and say something like that. If that is what you truly think when you are sitting here with me then there is a great deal more that you do not know." He said without emotion. I froze, my smile disappearing. It was not hard to see that he believed himself a danger to me. Even though I knew he had never hurt Bella and she had smelt more appealing to him than I ever could, he didn't. He was worried and he thought me foolish because I wasn't.

"Edward, I feel very safe with you." I told him honestly, "I'm not stupid nor am I naïve. I wouldn't be here if I thought my safety was as it risk." Edward would never hurt me. Not just because he was too good a person to, but because he wouldn't be able to bear disappointing his family that way.

He shook his head, his face conflicted with emotion. "Don't try and change my mind."

"How can you be so sure? I don't even know, so how can you?" he asked, exasperated.

"I have my reasons, just trust me."

"I'm sorry but I can't do that."

I sighed, "I was expecting that."

"What do you mean?"

I smiled, "You're nothing Edward if not overprotective."

** **** **

After I'd finished my food, Edward payed the bill and we walked quietly to the car. As soon as the doors unlocked, Edward opened the door for me and I swung myself into the passenger's seat, revelling in the warm air, protected from the wind. He moved quickly and gracefully to the other side. I watched him carefully as he seated himself and started the car.

He pulled out into the traffic and all of a sudden filled the car with the sound of his voice. "Now," he said confidently, "it's your turn."

This was going to be a _long_ night.

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**A/N: There you guys have it. Sorry it's been so slow, with school work and the beginnings of starting study notes, spare time has been hard to find. I've been writing at every opportunity I've had. And also, sorry this one was so long. I just wanted to keep going and going with it. A****nyway, quick question, if you had the chance to ask Edward a question what would it be? I'm having a hard time with this. Remember to review. : )**

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer:**__** More questions and a whole lot more…well, not so adequate answers. There's fast driving, finally some insight into the way Edward's feeling and some explanations about a particularly purple looking black eye.**_


	13. Insight

**Disclaimer: I don't own so very much of this. SM ****is almost all of it.**

**A/N: Quick update, gotta love the weekend. Enjoy.**

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"I have a feeling these questions are going to be about stuff I can't answer so why don't we just skip to the questions_ I_ want to ask." I grinned, speaking quickly.

Edward sighed, barely focusing on the road.

"What do you want to know?" he asked, clearly hoping to get my questions out of the way quickly before getting to his own.

"Tell me about your life, you know, before you became a vampire."

He looked down at me sharply, his eyes wide. "I'm curious," I added. His expression smoothed a little, the surprise settling. It seemed that nobody had asked this of him for a very long time.

He returned his attention to the road, silent. "Okay, if it sounds intrusive, don't worry about it." I dropped it quickly.

"I was born in 1901 in Chicago. My parents were Elizabeth and Edward Masen. I grew up in a happy and fairly average sort of home for the period of time," a corner of his mouth pulled up in a sort of half smile. From the first few sentences which sounded very much like a written autobiography it appeared he was beginning to loosen up. "Because, my father was lawyer, you see. It was the sort of work that kept us satisfied in our lifestyle. When the First World War came about things changed, of course. Nobody had really seen anything like it before and the idea of going off to battle to defend your country was merely courageous. At this point in time the draft for American soldiers had been lowered to the age of eighteen. I was but one year away and this…unsettled my mother." His features tightened again.

"That would very hard for her to deal with." I said, feeling that I had to say something.

"It was of no matter though. In September, the United States was hit by the influenza epidemic. It killed both my parents and would have killed me if not for Carlisle who had been my parents' doctor at the time they were directed to hospital." He explained.

"Yes, I know. Your mother asked Carlisle to save you and he did."

Edward nodded, "I have been with him ever since."

"You don't remember anything else of your human life? Times with your parents? Growing up?" I urged.

Edward shook his head looking solemn, "It had been a long time then and human memories fade."

"Oh," I said inadequately.

Picking up on something he'd said before, I asked about it. "You said that you've been with Carlisle ever since he changed you but that's not true."

Picking up on his mistake, Edward began to grudgingly correct himself. "You're right. There was a time when we went our separate ways."

"Why did you do that, decide to try the normal vampire lifestyle?" I asked quietly.

Edward ran a hand through his hair, searching for the right explanation. "For some time I had been of the opinion that I could live off of humans in the way in which normal vampires did but with the exception of only killing those who were truly evil, those who I believed to die. It took me until 1927 to leave Carlisle and Esme because my telepathy allowed me to hear the purity behind Carlisle's ideas on the matter in a way that nobody else could."

"But you couldn't live that way," I added.

He hung his head slightly, feeling the guilt and build up of emotions from the previous ninety or so years. "No, I could not. Being able to hear the thoughts of my prey was just too…too much. I returned to Esme and Carlisle in 1931 and have not left them since."

"You rebelled against your parents like a typical teenager." I joked.

"Yes," He smiled, "Emmett enjoys referring to it as that."

"I'm interested to hear about your time in Rochester, about the time Rosalie came into the family."

Edward didn't seem to mind talking about this period of time as much as the ones before it. "At the time Carlisle was working at the local hospital, as he does, Esme was his wife and I posed as her brother."

"That sounds really odd," I raised an eyebrow.

"At first it was a little hard to get use to but with the threat of exposure and being able to stay in a location for periods of time, you come to find keeping up with the current story quite simple.

"I still remember the first time I saw Rosalie. She was beautiful, of course, but I had never before met someone so very…"

"Stuck up?" I offered.

He chucked, "Pig headed, yes. It was why I was so shocked when Carlisle had turned her under the impression of creating a companion for me. He had hoped I would feel the same way about Rosalie that he did for Esme."

"She was more a sister and a frustrating sister at that."

"Yes," he agreed.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Hmm?" He looked at me, still driving straight down the center of the lane.

"Does it ever get weird listening to other people's thoughts?" It had been the next question to randomly enter my mind.

He looked thoughtful, "At times I would wish I could block it out but after so many years it had become second nature to me, just another part of me like your sense of smell or touch. Taken away from me, it makes me feel weak, frustrated. It is why I'm constantly asking you questions."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"For some reason that I cannot comprehend, I can't heard your thoughts." He told me honestly.

I waved a hand and shook my head, this wasn't new to me. "Oh, that. I already know you can't hear me. Thank god, how embarrassing would _that_ be?"

"How did you know?" he asked, interested.

"Oh, I've known since the first day we met. I randomly called out to you with my mind to see if you'd respond. The first time I did you looked at me and I totally freaked out." I explained rapidly.

"It's likely that I was responding to what someone else had been thinking at the time." He suggested.

I nodded, "Yeah, I assumed it was just Jessica thinking your name. So I tried again and you didn't react. It was a nice relief."

He raised an eyebrow, "What exactly is it about your thoughts that you don't want me to hear?" He was suddenly amused.

"It's more a privacy thing and besides, if you think the stuff I actually say is crazy, you don't even want to start on my thoughts. I'm one of those 'I'm not random, I'm just…oh a squirrel!' people."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Even still, it doesn't make me any less curious as to what you're thinking. What does interest me is why you of all people are silent to me? Why you?"

"Oh thanks Edward," I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean."

"I actually have a theory about that one but that would be going into the stuff I said I can't talk about." I grinned.

He sighed in frustration. "I will get that information out of you some day." He vowed.

"Sure, good luck with that."

I took a look over at the driver's side, catching sight of the speedometer. "Gosh, you really do drive fast. The stuff outside's practically a blur." I watched the trees whizz by in flashes as I blinked.

"Only to your eyes," Edward said smugly.

"Do you know what I would find absolutely hilarious?" I asked, as the image came to mind in my head. I laughed.

"What?" He asked, clearly annoyed again at not being able to pick it out of my mind.

"If we were to get pulled over for speeding, ha!" I burst out laughing.

Once I'd finished my little fit, I looked down at his knuckles on the steering wheel. They were white – well, more white than usual – and tensed.

"You really need to learn how to relax. You won't hurt me, okay?"

"Despite what you may think, allowing myself to be alone with you is a mistake."

"For goodness sake," I put my head in my hands, frustrated. Why don't I just give up? Edward's paranoid about this stuff, there's no avoiding it.

"A mistake?" I echoed, muffled by my hands.

"A very dangerous one," he murmured.

"Edward, you're not a monster. You _do_ have self control."

He looked angry at this comment, "Ashley, if I _didn't_ you wouldn't be sitting here now."

I held up my hands at his sharp tone, "Okay, _okay_, point taken."

"But it should be easier shouldn't it?" You're not hungry right now. You did go hunting with Emmett on the weekend right?" I asked.

"Yes," He paused, deciding on what should be told and what should be kept to himself. "I didn't want to leave, but it was necessary."

"Why didn't you want to leave?" I asked, confused but with a small inkling of what was going on here. I just couldn't believe it.

"It makes me…anxious…to be away from you." He eyes were soft and intense, giving me the swooning feeling I assumed girls felt when they read romance novels. Oh dear, this was not good.

"I wasn't joking when I told you to look after yourself last Thursday. I was distracted all weekend, worrying about you. And after what happened tonight, I'm surprised that you did make it through the whole weekend unscathed." He then looked down at my shin, covered by track pants and shook his head. "Well, not totally unscathed."

"I already told you that anyone could trip over their own shoes." I said, standing up for myself.

"Three times in the space of five minutes?"

I slumped in my seat, pouting. "Oh, fine. You win."

Then my thoughts were distracted to what he'd said before. He'd been worrying about me? Anxious about me? Oh god, oh no. This was what he'd said to Bella before he'd…fallen for her. That couldn't happen. No, I was being stupid. Impossible. Edward Cullen could not possibly have feelings for me. Ashley, you're being ridiculous.

"You could have called me Edward, if you were so anxious."

"I knew you were safe," How exactly did you know that? Train of thought coming into the station….oh no, no, no, no, that's not one I want to think about, not now, not here.

"But I would have liked to talk to you just the same…I like talking to you." The words came out of me before I could stop them. They hadn't even been processed by my brain yet and it shocked me that this was how I felt. No, Ashley, bad.

"This is wrong, not how it's supposed to be." I said to myself. Edward looked as though he had been about to say something along the same lines. I knew he was, it was how it was in the novel.

After a few more minutes of silence, Edward turned his head toward me. "Ashley, will you tell me something?"

"Depends on what it is."

"When I pulled around the corner while you were standing in the alley," Bad emotions and thoughts were coming back to the surface at this point, "you were wearing an expression I couldn't entirely place. What were you thinking?"

This sounded like a perfectly valid question, one I could answer. "Safe, I felt pure and under relief but most of all I felt safe. For a moment I thought that you weren't coming but then you swung around that corner and I was…relived." I said.

"What do you mean you thought I wasn't coming?"

I smiled weakly, "Another question to add to your list of many that I refuse to answer," Under my breath, to myself I added, "Just yet."

Without realising it, I found that we had pulled into Charlie's drive and that Edward's Volvo was merely sitting there, waiting for me to get out. Saddened to leave him but also happy to have some time to myself, I began slipping out of Edward's jacket.

"Thanks," I said as I handed it to him.

"Ashley," I turned around to face him but already knowing what he would tell me.

"Yeah, I know. Don't go into the woods alone. I was never really an outdoorsy person anyway." I assured him.

"You did it again," He told me.

"What?"

"Took the words out of my mouth,"

We smiled at each other as I reached to open the door but then stopped, "I'll see you tomorrow." He said calmly.

I nodded and turned again.

"Ashley?" he called my name again, leaning closer to me than he'd ever been before. I found it hard to breathe as his breath hit me and his eyes filled my vision.

"Sleep well," he said. I had to remind myself over and over again that he was a fictitious character and that he belonged to Bella before I could force myself out of the car. Finally opening the door, I got out onto the pavement slowly, feeling the cool breeze dance across my face.

He waited until I reached the front door before driving off into the darkness.

Charlie was sitting in the living room watching television when I came in. "Ashley, that you?" he called out.

"Yeah, it's me." I walked in to join him.

"You're home early," he commented.

It was only about eight o'clock but then again when I was at home, normally I didn't go out on school nights. "I'm not really a stay out late kind of person." I shrugged lightly.

"Did you girls have fun?" he asked.

I thought back to the afternoon with Jess and Angela before the drama and before Edward. "Yeah, it was great. They both found what they wanted."

It was when I came properly into the light that he saw it. "Ashley, what happened to you?" he said in outrage, looking at my bruised eye ring. I'd almost forgotten about that. It had stopped hurting and was now a mere visual wound, that is, as long as I didn't put pressure on it.

"It was nothing," I shrugged it off, no use getting Charlie into something I knew from Midnight sun that Carlisle and Edward would already be taking care of. "I walked into a pole by accident and it hit me in the face. It's fine. I had an ice pack on it earlier."

Charlie wasn't fully convinced by his expression. "Really, it's okay. I'm just a little tired. I think I'll go to bed." I said slowly.

Seeing nothing else he could do about the situation, Charlie gave in. "Alright, but I'm taking you to see a doctor tomorrow afternoon to get that checked out. It doesn't look good kid."

"Okay, that's fine. I'll see you tomorrow." I told him as I walked tiredly up the stairs. Entering Bella's bedroom I shut the door, got changed and sat myself down on the bed, feeling the aloneness. My mind felt blank and my emotions numb. Not wanting to deal with anything still, I brushed my teeth, got under the covers and fell asleep.

Faced with images of sneering faces, dark alleys, a fainting Jessica and the memory of being forced down onto the pavement, thinking it could be the end, I woke up at three in the morning gasping and sweating before bursting heavily and finally into tears.

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**A/N: Thanks to those who left me some questions, I appreciated it and did my best to come up with and research answers for them. Good old Twilight Lexicon was a nice help. Anyway, remember to , something I should apologize for more often, grammatical errors. I severly hope my Extension English teacher never catches sight of this, he would be horrified. ****I will continue to write while I have the time. :)**

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: Some more get to know you moments, firing questions off friends and dealing with haunting dreams. **_


	14. Restlessness

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer, my favourite author, owns the characters, the locations, the ideas, back story and even parts of the conversation. The basic idea for this came from the BBC mini-series "Lost in Austen" so whoever wrote that owns the idea.**

**A/N: Do you know what I realised? I always seem to write "Enjoy" at the beginning of a new chapter in my author's note, so I'm sorry if it's bothering you. For this chapter I will simply say…err….what else can I say? Ummm….have fun?**

My night had been extremely restless, filled with dreams that I couldn't control. They were images that haunted me deeply and made me wonder just what would have happened that night if Edward had not been there to save Jessica and I.

I looked at myself in the mirror as I brushed my teeth and sighed. If my now extremely prominent black eye had not have been there, the dark circles surely would have. The bottom of my other eye was a deep purple. Great, I thought. Now I look like some sort of crazed panda bear.

The idea of having to answer a million questions about how I'd gotten my bruise made me want to ditch school all together and spend my day under the bedcovers. Instead, putting on a brave face, I packed my bag and went about my morning routine, the tired and disturbed looking person I was.

After eating my cereal I pulled my Twilight book out from under the bed where it had been ever since my first day here and flicked open to where we should be up to in the storyline.

I read a few lines before realising that this was the day Edward had first taken Bella to school. The first of many days of interrogations, questions and how he had really began to fall in love with her. Bella was really missing all this. How could she be with Edward if she wasn't here in the right places for him to fall for her? It was…unthinkable and yet, it was something I had no control over.

Grabbing my bag, I headed downstairs, ready to walk to the bus stop. I swung open the front door and stopped in shock. There he was, just like in the novel, waiting for me.

"Do you want to ride with me today?" he asked, amused by my expression. This couldn't be happening. Why in the world did he want to spend time with me? I'm not Bella. You don't want to talk to me. I gaped at him while an amused expression spread across his face.

I could also tell that there was part of him hoping that by some chance I would say no, that I wanted to take the bus. Then again, I wouldn't be a true Twilight fan if I did that. "Yes, thank you." I said calmly. The car was just as warm as I remembered from last night. He hopped in beside me, his jacket sitting across the backseat. I tried to keep my eyes on his face instead of his body. That would be one thing I would have no idea how to explain without blabbering like an idiot.

"What, no twenty questions today?" he smirked.

"It's hard to think of things I want to know but don't already." I said truthfully. "Do the questions bug you?"

"No, it's more the fact that you ask very obscure questions. Not the obvious ones."

I frowned, thoughtful. "What would be the obvious questions?"

"Clearing up the typical vampire rumours, what do we eat, things like that." He suggested.

"Would it make you feel better if I didn't say I already knew the answers to those questions?" I asked.

Now it was his turn to frown, "Not really, no. But you should know that I'm not angry that you know these things just curious as to how."

"But I…"

He smiled, cutting me off, "You can't tell me how or more that you _won't_."

I looked around the car, "Did the others take Rosalie's car?"

"Yes," he said as we parked next to the bright red BMW convertible. "Ostentatious isn't it?"

"I'm getting an image of Malibu Barbie. All she needs is some palm trees." He chuckled at this imagery.

I sighed as we got out of the car and began walking. "You really are breaking all the rules now aren't you?"

"What are rules for if not to be broken?" he told me with a crooked smile.

Walking closer to the building, I caught sight of Jessica who was anxiously waiting for me to spill the beans on last night. She had obviously recovered from the whole ordeal, blocked it out most likely. Not that she'd seen all that much of it.

Her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head once she noticed Edward.

"Hey Jess," I greeted her as we approached.

"Good morning, Jessica." Edward said, ever so polite.

"Er…hi," She pushed out. She was obviously even more stumped by Edward's irresistible tone of voice and the blazing look in his eyes than I was.

Her eyes were wide as she collected her thoughts. "Well, I guess I'll see you in trig." Damn, question time. Must…avoid…trig!

"Right, see you."

She walked away, peering over her shoulder as she went.

"What are you going to tell her?" Edward murmured.

I crossed my arms over my chest, "The truth," I told him.

He looked completely affronted, "The truth?" he repeated.

"Sure, that you're a vampire, I'm an Australian exchange student, that you saved hers and my lives from a street gang, drive like a maniac and can read everybody's mind except for mine. Sound good?" I said sarcastically.

Edward looked deadly. "Of course I'm not going to tell her the truth! I have no idea what I'm going to say to her. A little help would be nice." My tone was falling on the desperate side of things.

"Now, that wouldn't be fair." He smiled arrogantly. Damn him and his telepathic powers.

"Come on, be nice. You know you want to give me the teeniest heads up." I told him persuasively.

"She wants to know if we're secretly dating. And she wants to know how you feel about me." He finally gave in, too bad I already knew this. Well, at least some things were staying consistent.

"So what do you suppose that I say?"

He stood thoughtfully, "Hmmm." He reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, catching me off guard. "I suppose you could say yes to the first…if you don't mind – it's easier than any other explanation."

"What? That we're friends?" I rolled my eyes.

"And as for her other question…well, I'll be listening to hear the answer to that one myself." He smiled before turning and walking away. I slapped my forehead as he called out over his shoulder, "I'll see you at lunch."

I walked briskly to class, biting my nails – another one of my bad habits. I slammed my bag down and began pulling out my stuff.

Mike spoke to me briefly and asked me about the previous night, but somehow all the questions about Jessica seemed a little forced. He did manage, like everyone else that day, to ask me about my black eye. The walking into a pole excuse seemed to work with Charlie so I stuck with it to avoid inconsistencies.

By the time I reached Trigonometry, more than half my nails were bitten down and I was under the impression that most of the day had passed in a blur. The sky had begun to darken and cloud, very much like my mood.

As soon as I walked into class Jess was practically bouncing up and down like a bouncy ball waiting for me to spill.

"Tell me everything!" she commanded before I could even get settled.

"What do you want to know?" I asked glumly.

"What happened last night?"

"He bought me dinner, and then he dropped me home. He honestly drives like a maniac."

"Were you surprised he was in Port Angeles."

"I didn't ask him to meet me there if that's what you're getting at." I couldn't really say that I had been hoping he'd show up.

She frowned, disappointed.

"But he picked you up for school today?" New tact.

"That surprised me actually,"

"So are you going out again?"

"We're driving up to Seattle on Saturday."

Don't do the wow thing, please don't. "W-o-w." she exaggerated it. God, why? "Edward Cullen."

"Yep," I said as a short response. Normally I was really a talkative person but in these circumstances, the less details I had to make up or lie about, the better.

"Wait!" she cried, her hands moving sky high, "Has he kissed you?"

Of course not! It isn't like that. He's going to fall in love with Bella Swan. I don't even know what the hell he's doing with me?

"No, it's not like that." Somehow my voice sounded disappointed. But that couldn't be, why would I be disappointed?

"Do you think Saturday…?" the eyebrows were raised.

"Jess, I doubt it. We're just friends." I smiled, lightening my expression.

"Come on, he's Edward Cullen. You've got have _some_ feelings for him." She hinted, trying to get more information out of me.

Not willing to open that can of worms, I skirted around it quickly. "To be honest, I really don't know how I feel about him. It's confusing plus I have no idea in the world how he feels about me. I just wish I understood why someone like him was bothering spending time with me." For a moment I had forgotten that Edward was listening in and it was all it had taken for me to let something out. I felt awkward immediately. I shouldn't be thinking about this. I should be focusing on getting my favourite love story back on track. Bella get back here now!

Class was quiet until the bell rang. I walked with Jess to the door. "You're not sitting with us today, are you?" she assumed.

"I really can't be sure. Edward's a little unpredictable sometimes." Well, if you're not an avid Twilight reader like me.

Outside the door of the Spanish classroom, Edward was leaning against the wall in his Greek god impression, waiting for me. Great, now I'd have to face the consequences of my bluntness.

"See you later Ash," Jess called as she left me with Edward.

"Hello," strain, amusement and confusion all in the space of one word, the marks of a good eavesdropper.

"Hey,"

We walked quietly, me unable to start the conversation up because I was so worried about what he was going to say.

He filled a tray of food and payed for it without me complaining and without him speaking. He led the way to the table we'd sat at before as I noticed the stares of several senior students. Edward didn't seem to care.

He gestured to the tray, urging me to take what I wanted.

I laughed. "What?" he asked, confused as to my reaction.

"This is the part where you eat pizza." The words popped out of my mouth. Come on brain, stop letting me down and start processing words before speaking them.

"Pizza?" he was still confused.

I shook my head, still amused. "Don't worry about it, private joke."

"I see," he said, bypassing it.  
I began eating a slice of the pizza, happy as the food settled in my stomach. "How is it that you manage to fit so much into your mouth at once?" Edward mused.

I stopped, lowering the pizza an inch or so. "Oh, sorry, I've been told I should eat more politely."

He smiled, "No, no. Eat however you like, I was merely thinking out loud. Personally I find it amusing how you somehow manage to fit so much in, in a matter of a few seconds."

I raised an eyebrow before putting the pizza down. Edward shook his head in dismay. "Humans really are strange creatures." He said quietly to himself.

"Well, sorry. I'm just a tad self conscious now. You try eating while someone's watching you." I pointed out.

"Eat, I promise not to focus on your food habits." He told me sincerely.

Too hungry to take a proper stand, I picked up the slice and resumed eating.

"So you were bothered by my driving were you?" he brought up all of a sudden. Finally we were getting into what I'd told Jessica. It was killing me waiting for him to get it over with. At least he was starting soft before getting into the tough stuff.

"Not really, I just felt like bringing it up at the time."

His expression darkened, "Something you said to Jessica…well, it bothers me." He looked up from under his long lashes with a troubled look.

"Of course it does, half the stuff we spoke about bothered _me_. I didn't even want to think what _you_ thought of it." I said.

"You really don't understand why someone like me would want to spend time with someone like you?" he leaned in, his hands under his chin.

"Honestly, yes I do. I mean, look at you. You're this…amazingly good looking, intelligent vampire who can lift mini buses with one hand and you want to chauffeur round a teenage girl who trips over her own shoes, whines constantly and bites her nails."

Edward sighed, running his hand down his face. "There's nothing amazing about me Ashley but you," he leaned back, "you need to see yourself more clearly. There is so much more to you then just those small flaws which a great many people have."

I looked up from my hands, and into his eyes. They were staring blatantly into mine without looking away, gentle and pure.

"I wish you would stop doing that to me. It's hard to focus on what I need to." I complained. Like the fact that you belong to someone else and aren't real.

"Doing what?" his eyes were now wide with surprise.

"Dazzling me,"

"Oh," he frowned.

"What really amazes me about humans is their absolute absurdity." Edward began, looking thoughtful. "Those who are but only shallow, unintelligent and uninteresting are the ones who think highly of themselves and find it hard to see their flaws."

I wondered where exactly he was going with this. "And then there are those like you," Okay, what does he mean? "People who are unable to see just how the opposite of ordinary in multiple ways they really are,"

"Opposite of ordinary," I echoed, under my breath.

"Saturday," he began, changing the topic of conversation. "We made those plans when I was unaware of just how much you knew about me. Now that the circumstances have altered, are you resolved on going to Seattle, or do you mind if we do something different?"

"I'm open to alternatives." I smiled. "There are a few things around here that I still haven't done."

"The weather will be nice, so I'll have to stay out of the public eye but if that factor is taken into consideration, I don't mind what we do." He told me.

"So, you'll show up on Saturday morning and we'll decide?"

"If that's what you want." He allowed, calmly. "Although, I do advise that you tell Charlie what your plans are."

"Why would I want to do that?"

A fierce expression set in, "To give me some small incentive to bring you back."

"Edward, I'm one hundred percent positive that I'll return in the same condition I leave in."

He exhaled angrily, and looked away, muttering something under his breath that sounded like, "I don't know how you can be so sure."

"Why don't we change the subject to something that's not going to frustrate you so much?" I suggested.

Alice was staring at me intently from across the room along with a few others around the place. I ignored them, looking back at Edward.

"I'm guessing we shouldn't make any plans to visit a zoo any time soon." I said the first thing that came to mind. This eased the anger and brought back the confusion.

"Why is that?" Clearly he was missing the obvious.

"Because I'm not about to take you to an all you can eat buffet and watch you devour the lions as your main course." I scoffed.

He chuckled at the idea, sending me joining in too. It was a rather funny image.

"Emmett didn't provoke any irritable grizzlies this weekend did he?" I asked, still on the subject of food.

"Maybe one or two." He admitted.

"Oh, we're going to be late." I said, looking around the room at the yet again vacant cafeteria.

"We'll talk more later," Edward told me as he got up, leading the way to Biology.

"Later," I repeated eager.

Everyone in the room seemed to watch us as we both slinked to our desk. Edward sat quite close to me as Mr. Banner pulled in an old looking television with a matching VCR. Come on guys. Get into the age of the DVD.

He shoved the tape into the slot and turned out the lights before switching everything on. I couldn't help but keep glancing at Edward beside me in between worrying about the fact that for this I should be wearing my glasses. I'm short sighted.

He grinned back at me, seeing my gaze and causing me to forget about my optometrist's instructions.

At the end of class, I moaned in relief as Mr. Banner switched the video off. There would still be more next lesson.

"Thank god, that film is so boring."

"I'm not about to disagree with you," Edward rose from his seat, looking down at me. "Shall we?" he asked, leading me to my final period for the day…gym.

I turned to him to say goodbye but stopped, realising how close he was to me. I froze, unable to speak as he slowly raised his hand, hesitantly. Conflicted but persistent, he swiftly brushed the length of my cheekbone with his fingertips. I could feel the iciness of his skin. He turned without speaking and quickly walked away in the opposite direction. I was stumped. This could not be good. I had to put a stop to this soon before it got out of hand. That was not a friendly gesture. That was the makings of something more and I couldn't have that.

Mike teamed up with me, still chivalrous and still made the comment in the book that made me laugh every time I read it, just out of its sheer irony.

"You and Cullen, huh? I don't like it," he warned, "He looks as you like…like you're something to eat," he continued.

I cracked up, unable to control it. Hearing him say it and actually seeing the look on his face was ten times better than reading it.

Edward met me after gym, wearing a breathtaking smile. "Hello. How was gym?" he asked.

"Just peachy," I said moodily.

He caught sight of Mike and scowled, "Newton's getting on my nerves."

I laughed, "That doesn't surprise me. You've never seemed to like him very much."

"I have more reason than you know," he muttered. For once he really did have me thrown. What reason could he have for not liking Mike?

We forced ourselves past the large crowd which had formed around Rosalie's car in the car park. I could hear Edward commenting as we walked, "Ostentatious," he muttered.

Unnoticed, we both climbed into the opposites sides of the Volvo.

"I have never understood the fascination people have with cars. Really, if anyone asked me to describe Rosalie's I'd probably just say red and shiny."

Edward grinned, "Some people just don't understand the beauty of a fast moving vehicle."

"Mmhmm, sure," I said, my tone heavy on the sarcasm.

As we drove, another random question popped into my mind. Without thinking too much about it and overcome by curiosity, I asked it. "Edward, this is going to sound like an extremely weird question but I really do want to know."

"Alright,"

I took a deep breath. "What do I smell like?"

Edward made a sort of choking sound as he swivelled his head around, giving me the oddest look I've ever seen. "What?" he asked in shock.

"I told you it was weird." I reminded him, a little embarrassed.

"I can see why you'd think that," he said, his eyes wide.

"Well?" I pushed.

"Well what?"

I sighed, "Are you going to answer the question or not?"

He shook his head in disbelief as he thought it through, "Ashley, I don't feel comfortable talking about how pleasant you to smell to me while we're enclosed in such a small space. Can you understand that?"

"Oh, right. Okay." I mumbled.

Even though he had dismissed it, I could tell that Edward was struggling to keep his mind from focusing on things he wished it wouldn't. It had been a bad idea to bring up the question, stupid Ashley.

He still looked strained as we drove in silence until we reached the Swan house.

"Ashley, I think you should go inside now." His voice was low and uneven. Not wanting to make things difficult for him I got out quickly and spoke through the open window.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it would be…" I trailed off, unable to find the words.

"Don't worry about it. I like to hear what you're thinking, even if it is absurd questions about your scent." His mood lightened and he smiled at me weakly. Taking this as our goodbye, I turned around and began walking up the path before he called me back, as per usual.

"Oh, Ashley?" He was leaning through the open window, his usual smile back in place.

I nodded, "Yes, I get it. It's your turn to ask the questions tomorrow."

"At least you've accepted it."

"Would it matter if I hadn't?" I asked.

The smile widened, "No, it would still happen anyway." He told me with pleasure.

"I thought you'd say that."

Before I knew it he was gone, speeding down the street at his usual rate but still perfectly down the center of the street.

That night I experienced much of the same dreams as before, disturbing and painful. After waking up twice, I gave up, instead deciding to read a book for a while. I just wished that things could go back to the way they were. Even my crazy collage dreams were better than these ones that filled me with terror.

Charlie was sitting at the table eating cereal when I came downstairs. He was a lot more complacent today, having taken me to see a doctor to check out my eye yesterday as promised. Everything was fine. The bruise would fade after some time. He suggested that if it was bothering me to simply cover it up with some make-up.

"About this Saturday…," Charlie began as he crossed the kitchen to begin washing up his bowl.

"Yeah? What about it?"

"You're still not going to the dance?" he asked.

I shook my head and gave him a look, "Yep,"

"Didn't anyone ask you?" He probed.

"Yes they did, despite the fact that it's supposed to be a girl's choice." I explained. "Anyway, I was planning to spend Saturday with a friend. Doing some stuff I haven't had the chance to do yet." I decided letting Charlie know about my plans wouldn't be such a bad idea. Besides, it would make Edward happy at the very least.

"Jessica?" he guessed.

"No, Jess is going to the dance. I was going to hang out with Edward."

He features froze. "Edward?" he asked, interested.

I nodded, "Edward Cullen, you know, Dr. Cullen's son." I knew that he already was aware of this but there was no harm in jogging his memory.

"And what exactly is your relationship with Edward?" Oh god, bring on the third degree.

"We're just friends Charlie. Like I said, just hanging out for the day." I explained.

He nodded, seeing no reason why he could disapprove of this. "Okay," With a short wave he was off for the day, leaving me to lock up and collect my stuff before Edward arrived.

I walked quickly down the stairs and headed out the front to meet the silver Volvo.

He was smiling and relaxed, although this would always change throughout the day.

"Good morning." He told me in a smooth voice. "How are you today?"

"Good, thanks." It was how I always replied to that question whenever it was posed to me. Even if I wasn't so good, it was always the same answer.

His gaze moved from my black eye – which was still a prominent purple – to the panda circles under my eyes which were now even more visible than before. "You look tired."

I shrugged it off, "It's nothing, dreams kept me up. I couldn't sleep." I told him briefly.

"Neither could I," he teased as he started the engine, filling the inside with its quiet purr.

"So, when does the interrogation begin?" I joked.

He pretended to think about it before answering, "Right about…now."

I secured my seat belt, got comfortable and braced myself.

Okay Edward, bring it on.

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**A/N: Don't you see how much I love the weekend? There's so much time for typing up chapters. Anyway, again I went a little overboard words and page wise but it's so hard to find a place to stop when you just want to keep going. Okay, onward to the next chapter!**

**(Oh, and remember to review! :) )**

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: Question, questions, questions, another visit from the Black family and finally meeting Alice.**__** Plus, with Ashley beginning to realise Edward's affections will she be able to sort through the mess of confusion in her head, or merely stick to her "Just friends" mantra?**_

_**Next Time**__**…**_

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	15. Be Safe

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer, my favourite author, owns the characters, the locations, the ideas, back story and even parts of the conversation. The basic idea for this came from the BBC mini-series "Lost in Austen" so wh****oever wrote that owns the idea.**

**A/N: Haha, on a roll. Now it's time to study…:( Oh well. Enjoy the chapter.**

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By the second question I was already feeling as though I'd just been shoved in front of a camera on a game show. Only, I was minus the buzzer.

"What's your favourite colour?" he asked, his face too serious for the question he was asking.

"Blue. It use to be both blue and pink when I was younger but eventually I grew out of the pink thing. I seriously used to step out of the house dressed fully in pink, even pink tights." I remember feeling like an oversized lolly.

"I'm glad you grew out of it," He noted, looking my clothing up and down.

We were already at school by this point. The ride had been so fast. Edward looked at me as he quickly pulled into an open space.

"What music is in your CD player right now?" He was still so sombre, I wasn't confessing to having killed someone or anything.

"I haven't used my CD player in ages. All my music is on iTunes on my computer and my IPod." I admitted.

He raised an eyebrow. Edward obviously wasn't into this area of new technology just yet. Deciding to let this one go he tried another tact instead. "Well who have you got loaded on to your IPod?"

I laughed, "Sorry, it just sounds weird hearing the word IPod come out of your mouth." Edward rolled his eyes at me. "I don't know, I've got Yiruma, Paramore, Michael Buble, Boys like Girls, The All American Rejects, Taylor Swift, Linkin Park, Nickleback…there's heaps of stuff. Too much to go into." Somehow telling someone about the sort of music I liked felt very personal to me.

"It's odd," Edward commented, "You go from Classical to rock to Country and then to Jazz."

"Well, I like a lot of types of music. I don't like Heavy Metal, R&B isn't so great and except for a few groups I think rap shouldn't be classified as music."

Edward seemed to find my little rant quite amusing.

Throughout the day as we walked he continued to question me. Some of my answers appeared to surprise him very much. When I brought up Breakfast at Tiffany's and Audrey Hepburn in a discussion about movies I saw his eyebrows raise heavily. We discussed my family holidays and where I still wanted to go but my favourite set of questions had to be the ones on books. There were questions upon questions about books.

"What was the last book you read?" he asked.

"Wuthering Heights, for English but I was in the middle of a P.D James novel when I left home." I told him.

"Favourite authors?"

"Stephenie Meyer, Kathy Reichs, Cassandra Clare, Christopher Paolini, Jodi Picoult…"

Words bubbled out of my mouth at an extremely fast rate but Edward always managed to keep up and despite how much I told him, he never got bored and always listened intently like my answer was the difference between life and death.

"What kind of flowers do you prefer?" he fired off.

"Sunflowers and frangipanis," I blurted out my answers quickly, one after the other.

By the time we reached Biology, it was hard to believe that was anything left for him to ask. We sat through the movie again, occasionally looking at each other at intervals. When it finished he questioned me to the gym before touching my face as he had the previous day and leaving in the opposite direction.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this yet. It wasn't something friends did to each other but I liked the feeling of it and wasn't about to tell him to stop.

On the drive home from school he began asking questions much harder to answer. Ones that involved me actually thinking hard and talking about my emotions. I described my family and my relationships with them and he had me describe anything and everything. We sat in the car in the driveway for ages just talking until finally the sky began to darken and we began to realise that Charlie would be back soon.

When I had finished describing my ocean themed room back home, I sighed. "You're not done yet are you?" I asked.

"Not even close." He said, winking. Taking on a new expression of thought, he looked out the window, up at the coloured sky. I knew what he would say but wanted to hear him use the words anyway.

"It's twilight," he murmured. His voice made him sound as though his thoughts were so very far away. He shifted his gaze back to mine.

"It's the safest time of day for us, the easiest time. But also the saddest, in a way…the end of another day, the return of the night. Darkness is so predictable, don't you think?" he smiled.

"So many things in this world are unpredictable. It's nice to have a few things you know you _can_ count on. Besides, I like the night. The stars are nice to look at. Not that I ever get to see them back home in the city. You think you've found one, wish on it and a few seconds later it flies away because it's an aeroplane."

Edward laughed, bringing me back down to earth. He lent over to open the door for me and stopped. "Not good," he muttered.

"Another complication?" I provided for him. He glanced at me for a brief second and then threw open the door, moving away from me quickly.

A dark car pulled up a few feet away, its headlights shining in the dark.

"Charlie's around the corner," he told me as he stared through the rain at the other car. Oh right, Billy and Jacob. Billy doesn't like Edward.

I hopped out quickly, waving to Edward as he closed the door and drove out. He was out of my sight in mere seconds.

"Hey Ashley," called a familiar voice from the dark car.

"Hi Jacob, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I added mock formally.

Jacob was already climbing out and began helping Billy out of the passenger's side. The moment I caught sight of Billy's face, my smile disappeared. His eyes were wide and his nostrils were flared. Then again, it was to be expected.

Relax Ashley. You've got nothing to worry about. Charlie knows about Edward, well…not the vampire part. So Billy can't do a thing.

This was sure going to be a balancing act.

"Billy!" Charlie called, beckoning the two Blacks over to the house.

I backed out of the way, allowing the three to head inside out of the rain. "I hope you can stay for the game." Charlie told them eagerly.

Jacob grinned, "I think that's the plan – our TV broke last week. It's probably why he's been wanting to visit so often lately."

"And of course Jacob was anxious to see Ashley again," he added.

I smiled while Jacob scowled. "You want me to grab something for you Charlie?" I asked, knowing that Jacob and Billy had already eaten before they'd come.

"Sure," he replied.

Over the space of time of their visit the conversation remained very much the same as the novel. They talked about Jacob's car, the game and…Jacob mentioned Edward.

"Whoever it was that pulled out of your drive when we got here had a nice ride. I thought I knew most of the kids round here but can't remember seeing him before."

I nodded, focusing on Charlie's sandwiches. "My dad seemed to know him from somewhere. So who was it?"

"Edward Cullen," I told him, seeing no way to avoid the question or no reason to.

He laughed, "Guess that explains it, then," he said. "I wondered why my dad was acting so strange."

"Yeah, he doesn't like the Cullen's." It was a statement, not a question.

"Superstitious old man," Jacob muttered while I laughed. I sort of day dreamed during the game, thinking it would be rude to excuse myself while we had guests.

Billy and Charlie exchanged goodbyes before Billy turned to me. "You take care, Ashley." He told me.

After they left Charlie asked me about my day before allowing me to excuse myself to my mountain of home-work. He did mention that he had made fishing plans for the Saturday but it wasn't like he could have known that I already knew that.

"You're my guest but it seems like I'm constant leaving you alone." He commented.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm fitting into your lifestyle, not the other way around."

He smiled, crinkling the corners of his eyes.

Sleeping through the night was a little easier than before. Even though it was still a little unsettled, I woke in the morning more refreshed then before but still tired. Despite being worn-out I found myself happy because I knew tomorrow would be Saturday.

Charlie commented on my mood, me giving him the same reply that Bella had in the book.

I got ready quickly and walked out front to meet Edward. There was no pause, he immediately launched into conversation.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, taking in my even more tired looking face.

"Barely any at all, how was your night?"

"Pleasant." He looked relieved for some reason. Like something that had been bothering him had eased recently, although I had no idea what.

"I'm not even going to bother asking what you did, you won't tell me anyway." I said.

He nodded, happy that I understood. "Today is still _mine_."

We talked more about friends and family today, relationships in general. When it came around to the romantic side of relationships I was happy that this part of the conversation couldn't last very long.

"So you never met anyone you wanted?" he asked seriously but thoughtfully.

"I won't lie to you and say I never had feelings for anyone because I did, it's pretty much impossible to go through life not ever being attracted to anyone. I've just never dated anyone or fallen in love." I explained honestly.

These sentiments appeared to both please and irritate him in the same instance but didn't stop him from continuing his questioning.

At lunch he collected food as usual and we walked to our table, now a sort of routine. "I should have told you earlier that I was leaving early today."

"Oh yeah, hunting with Alice." I remembered.

"Every time I think I'm getting use to the idea of you knowing everything, you say something and I'm surprised again." He said in frustration.

"Anyway, it's okay. I'll just catch the bus like I did before you started picking me up and dropping me home." I told him.

He frowned, not happy with the idea of me catching the bus but not having another alternative to suggest considering that I couldn't drive.

"Honestly Edward, don't worry about it. You need to take your precautions. I'll take the bus, it's not a big deal.

"You can always cancel, you know." Edward said all of a sudden.

I looked up at him, confident in my own opinions. "Now, why would I want to do that?" I said. He looked worried. "Edward, am I usually wrong about these things?" He shook his head regretfully. "Then trust me. There's nothing to worry about."

"Perhaps you're right." He murmured.

"So what time tomorrow?" I asked eagerly. He restrained a smile at my sudden enthusiasm.

"That depends….it's a Saturday, don't you want to sleep in?" he offered.

I rolled my eyes, "So normal school time it is."

"What does Charlie think about this?" he asked pointedly.

I shrugged. "He's out fishing tomorrow."

He shot me a sharp look, "Okay, okay, relax. He thinks that I'm spending the day with a friend, which is the truth. I mentioned your name but it won't matter anyway, you'll be bringing me back safe and sound." I said rapidly, filling him in.

This relieved him slightly. "I wish I had your assurance." He muttered.

I looked over at the rest of the Cullens, frowning. "They really don't like me do they." I concluded from their looks. Rosalie looked murderous.

"They're more incredulous than disliking. They don't understand why I can't leave you alone." Realising he should correct himself, "That is, unless your Rosalie." He amended. "Alice is the most supportive."

"I can understand that." I said.

"Can you?" he said under his breath.

I looked back over the table seeing that Rosalie was now looking directly at me. There was no hiding her dislike in this context. Edward hissed lowly next to me, sending her looking in the opposite direction.

"I'm sorry about that. She's just worried." You see…it's dangerous for more than just me if, after spending so much time with you so publicly…" he looked down.

"If this ends badly, I understand. But you're still not listening to me Edward. It won't end badly." I repeated.

He looked pained and I felt at a loss on how to further reassure him. There wasn't much else I could do or say.

I watched Alice rise from her seat and looked at him, "You have to leave now." I told him.

"Yes," he said, raising his face from his hands.

"At least you get to escape the end of that Bio movie…unlike me." I scowled.

He laughed as I jumped. Alice had appeared beside us, her short spiky hair sticking up in all directions. She was just so…small and graceful.

"Alice," Edward greeted her without looking away from me.

"Edward," she answered, ten times higher.

"Alice, Ashley – Ashley, Alice." He introduced us casually, smiling wryly.

"Hello, Ashley" He eyes were wide and her smile was warm. "It's nice to finally meet you." Edward shot her a dark look.

"Hey Alice," I said brightly.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

"Nearly. I'll meet you at the car." She walked fluidly away from him without another word.

"Have fun," I told him as he rose, grinning.

"Try to be safe, please." He requested.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'll avoid all things with sharp ends. Maybe I'll have to ask Mike to confiscate my pencils." I joked.

"Promise," he said seriously.

"I promise," I told him. He smiled, contently, as I rose too. "I'll see you tomorrow bright and early."

He reached out and touched my face slowly before turning on his heel. I watched him until he disappeared from sight. I exhaled, feeling the excitement bubble up inside of me. I couldn't wait till tomorrow.

The rest of the day moved by slowly, I was really starting to feel the tiredness of the previous nights. Mike asked me about Edward, poking around where he didn't belong while I merely lied.

As I got onto the bus and sat down, I rummaged around inside my school bag to pull out my novel. Flicking it open to the right page number I couldn't help but smile as a small white piece of paper fell out onto my lap.

Be Safe.

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**A/N: Finally I'm up to writing my favourite parts. I have been waiting to get to here for a while. I just hope I don't stuff it up. ****+ I'm so sorry I keep putting up chapters in such a small space of time. It's just that I've had some spare time and I can't do it during the week, too busy, so I'm choca blocking it on the weekends. Hope you don't hate me too much. Review :) (also, damn I wish Edward's font would work on this website but it doesn't.)**

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: A day out with Edward and some sunshine. Where will Ashley choose to go? And more importantly, will Ashley put her feelings aside and do what'**__**s right for the future of the Twilight series or will she finally give in? **_

_**Will the decision break her?**_

_**Next Time…**_


	16. Meadow

**Disclaimer: I practically don't own any of this. It's Stephenie Meyer and whoever created "Lost in Austen". God, I'm over doing this every chapter.**

**A/N: Finally I had the chance to do one of my favourite scenes in the book. I just hope that I've done it justice, if not, please don't hate me. + Sorry for those of you who have subscribed to the story and recieved an update earlier saying that this chapter was up. It_ was_ up but after doing it, something felt wrong about Edward's reactions after a certain point so I had to remove it to fix that. My sister described it as me having given him a happy pill. Anyway, much happier with it now that Edward's not so...happy. If that makes sense and as bad as it sounds. Okay, Enjoy. :)**

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On the Saturday morning I awoke early and didn't waste time going about my routine. When I had nothing left to do but wait I sat myself down on Bella's bed, staring blankly around the room but still trying to control the bubbling excitement inside of me. Not seeing the harm in it, I reached under the bed and pulled out my Twilight copy again. I had finally reached my favourite part of the story. Although, some part of me knew that this storyline would differ from the original. I sighed, Bella wasn't here. Therefore, there would be no meadow scene. No confessions chapter. The realisation pained me more than I knew.

Charlie had already left by the time I came downstairs and by the looks of the weather, I didn't think it'd be a too bad a day for him. There was a little cloud but I didn't think it would hang around very much longer.

I brushed my hair again, pulled it back and then pulled it out again. Basically, I was merely trying to find a way to pass the time. In the middle of doing a scrappy sketch with a demented lead pencil, a quiet knock from downstairs sent me flying. I dropped everything out of my hands, rushed to the door, and there he was.

He looked sombre, as though he were about to face the firing squad, not spend a day with me. That is, until he looked me over and laughed.

"Good morning," he chuckled.

"What?" I looked myself over trying to find something that would cause this reaction then it hit me.

"We match." He laughed gesturing to my sweater. I couldn't help but laugh. After all the times I'd read the book and the time I'd had spare this morning I'd still made exactly the same error as Bella had originally. The only problem was that the colour scheme we'd both adopted looked ten times better on him than it did on me.

"So, had any thoughts about places you want to visit today?" he asked.

Already having made this decision earlier, I was confident in saying so.

"Just the one,"

** ***** **

After about half an hour of pushing through trees and stepping over twisting roots, I was already sweating. My pride and fitness had so far allowed me to get by without complaining of tiredness. Still, this had been my decision and I was going to get there no matter what.

At various intervals he held out a hand to help me through the undergrowth but released me as soon as I was able. For the most part, the walk was done in silence except for the occasional odd question that either of us hadn't thought of during the last few days.

Despite how long it took and frustrated I was, I never gave up and Edward never complained. I had to admire his patience with me. Finally, by the time we were almost there I could see patches of sunlight streaming through gaps in the trees. The day had turned sunny just as it should but Edward seemed to ceaselessly avoid each ray in a way that looked natural.

At last I could see a breaking in the trees and more sunlight in a wide area. I walked quickly, even more excited now that I knew we were here.

Edward, side stepping and letting me lead, followed until we reached the open area of sunlight. He stopped, allowing me to move forward and cover myself in the rays.

The Meadow.

I pressed forward and then stopped. I leaned back against the grass and closed my eyes, feeling the sun's warmth hit my body in all places. It had been a while since I'd felt proper sunlight like this. I'd missed it.

After a moment, I realised that Edward wasn't beside me. Sitting up and opening my eyes I gazed into the trees, catching sight of his form in the gloom. He looked uneasy, hesitant as to what my reaction would be.

"It's okay," I assured him. "I know how it works," I spoke softly as I held out a hand, making a motion for him to join me.

He held up a hand in warning, rocking back onto his heels. Taking what appeared to be a deep breath; Edward took a step forward and walked into the bright sunlight.

Even though I had read the book time after time and seen the movie, the way Edward's sparkle was described or shown was nothing compared to the real beauty of having him there in front of me. Every inch of skin shone like diamonds, shooting off into the world around us, making me smile at the absolute wonder of it.

Smooth and hard in whole but glittering and shining like an enormous assortment of crystals.

I propped myself up on my elbow while Edward lay down beside me. Every so often I would have to blink and then have to get use to shine all over again. I watched his lips move rapidly but quietly, making sounds too low for me to comprehend.

The breeze was gentle, blowing my hair lightly around my face. Edward seemed to like the image of my hair in the sun, having played with a few strands at various points. Again, not really a friendly gesture but not one I wanted to deny him the ability of doing.

"Your hair is so…beautiful in the light." He told me, watching the edges turn gold as I moved. I looked away, embarrassed.

"It's so weird to think that you don't have a pulse." I commented, looking down at his wrist. "May I?" I asked, looking at his hand. He nodded, holding it out into my hands.

Using two of my fingers I moved them slowly along the front of his wrist. I knew it was something I shouldn't be doing but somehow I couldn't find the will to stop. His eyes watched me intently.

Slowly I began to flip his hand around but seeing that this was what I wanted, his acted on the movement himself in a flash. I had been expecting the move, so it didn't surprise me.

"I don't scare you?" he teased, although there was an underlining curiosity.

I shook my head and smiled, still tracing circles lightly on his skin.

"You can't imagine how that feels." He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Your skin is so smooth and cool. I mean, I was expecting it to be that way but…I don't know." I shook my head. Silently, I held his hand upwards in the light, watching it sparkle.

I dropped his hand gently as he spoke, "Tell me what you're thinking," he whispered. "It's still so strange for me, not knowing."

"I can honestly say that right now my mind is perfectly blank." I replied.

"You're always thinking something, even though you may not be aware of it." He told me wisely.

I sighed, "I was wishing that I understood."

Edward frowned, "Understood what?"

"You," I told him, diverting my eyes to the ground. "I used to think I knew so much about you, the way that you thought, the things you'd say, even how you'd look in the sunlight. And then I came here…" I trailed off.

Edward sat up in so quickly that I missed it, staring at me intently as I averted my eyes. "I believe that you know me better than you think, better than I'm aware you do."

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at my expression.

I looked up, meeting his gaze, "I'm just afraid."

"Afraid? Of me?" he looked worried.

I shook my head. "I'm scared of….making the wrong choices, making the same mistakes as somebody else would have in my position and…" I frowned. "Giving in to taking something that doesn't belong to me," I had to be aware of how closely I was coming to telling him things I didn't want him to know. My words were starting to boarder on things that should not be said.

"I don't want you to be afraid," he murmured.

Realising how close he was to me, I shifted my position ever so slightly but somehow this ended up being too much. He was gone in an instant, twenty feet away and under the gloom of a fir tree. He stared at me with a blank expression as I looked back.

I wasn't hurt or scared, merely just surprised at the sudden movement. I knew this had happened in the original story but I had been hoping to avoid it.

"I'm sorry Edward, I didn't mean to…" I tried.

"Give me a moment," he called loud enough for me to hear.

After a few long seconds, he walked back towards me and sank to the ground in a graceful movement. He refused to look away from my face and smiled in apology when he was seated again.

"I am so very sorry. Would you understand what I meant if I said I was only human?" I nodded, unsmiling. I was waiting for the rest of the theatrical bomb to drop.

Edward laughed all of a sudden, watching my face.

"What?" I asked.

"You look as though you're waiting to face the firing squad." He chuckled.

"Aren't you going to tell me how you're the world's best predator because everything about you invites me in? You know, run around and show me your strength and speed, proving how impossible it'd be for me to fight you off." I cringed.

Edward gazed at me, his eyes wide. "The thought had occurred to me but seeing how the fact has already been embedded in your mind, I no longer see the need." He said, his voice teasing. "But if you want to see me, ahem, '_run _around to show you my strength and speed' you only had to ask." He continued.

I gave him a look, "Ashley, relax. I promise…" he hesitated, finding a stronger word, "I swear not to hurt you." He appeared to be more focused convincing himself of this than me.

I loosened my muscles, spreading out from the sort of clenched up ball I had begun as if waiting for imminent impact.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking anxious but speaking tenderly.

"I'm fine," I said as he brushed some of my hair over my shoulder. His smile in return to my words was dazzling.

"So where were we, before I behaved so rudely?" he asked, his early twentieth century upbringing showing through in his manner.

"We were talking about thoughts." I reminded him. "My irrational ones," I didn't say anything after these words and merely began playing with some of the wild flowers intertwined within the grass below us.

"You once asked me about your scent." He said, bringing up an entirely different topic.

I looked up, astonished. I nodded in reply to the question in his eyes. "Do you still wish to know?"

"If it doesn't make you uncomfortable,"

He smiled, leaning back a little. "You really ask the strangest questions but I'll answer it anyway." I sat up along side him. "You have one of those scents that appeal very much to quite a lot of vampires. It's one of the most appealing I've come across but like I said, I'm one of _many_ who would take pleasure in drinking your blood." He stopped, as if to make sure he wasn't frightening me. Seeing me content, he continued. "If I had to describe the scent itself, I would say it were similar to something pure and sweet but with the addition of something else. Sort of a vanilla with something I can't seem to put my finger on just yet."

I raised one corner of my mouth and nodded, "Hmm, you're starting to make me sound appealing to_ myself_."

Edward smiled, "Fortunately our tastes differ greatly under these circumstances." Like the flick of a switch his manner changed. "I should have left long ago," he sighed. "I should leave now. But I don't know if I can."

I looked at him sympathetically. "You don't _need_ to leave. I don't want you to leave. It's nice spending time with you." I lay back on the grass again and closed my eyes.

"Which is exactly why I should. But don't worry. I'm essentially a selfish creature. I crave your company too much to do what I should."

"I'm happy for it,"

"Don't be!" I opened my eyes and found him staring down at me harshly from above. "It's not only your company that I crave! Never forget that." I blinked, now finding him staring into the forest.

"I never forget it. I know how hard it is for you to live the way you do, living off animals and living _with_ humans." I told him surely.

"You couldn't possibly empathise." He said, shaking his head.

"No," I agreed. "But I can sympathise."

We sat for a moment listening to the birds and the light rustling of the leaves before finally, I spoke again. "Edward," he looked up. "The day after my first day at school, you left and when you came back I asked why. You told me it was something to do with Alice and your future."

"Yes,"

"Were you referring to something she had seen in a vision?" I sat patiently, waiting for his answer.

"You know about Alice's visions." It was a statement, not a question.

I nodded, "Yes, I know about your family's extra advantages."

Edward sighed, deciding that he should answer my question. "Well now that you ask, yes, Alice and I did have a disagreement about something she had seen in my future." He admitted.

"What was it to do with exactly?" I was curious as to what Alice could possibly have seen that would send Edward off to Alaska – I was sure that was where he'd gone.

He looked reluctant to share this piece of information with me. "She began complaining about how the future had changed all of a sudden, that it wasn't just a small change but it had been altered completely. The only problem was that Alice could only see this new future up to a certain point and it bothers her."

My senses began tingling, "This new future, it didn't have anything to do with…me, did it?" I asked quietly.

Edward shook his head, brushing off the question lightly. "It doesn't matter, as I told you when I returned, the whole thing was absurd."

Seeing that he wasn't comfortable talking about specifics, I tried something else. "Did you go to Alaska?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "But after I realised just how pointless our argument was, I came home and went about things the way I had before. Everything seemed to be fine, that is until you were almost crushed in front of my eyes." He lowered his head in an emotion I couldn't identify. It was not regret nor was it sadness.

"Later I thought of a perfectly good excuse for why I acted at that moment – because if your blood had been spilled there in front of me and the rest of my family, I don't know if all of us would have been able to resist, Jasper in particular, being new to our chosen lifestyle. But I only thought of that excuse later. At the time, all I could think was, 'Not her.'" We both said the last two words together. Him loud, so that I could hear, me so soft I couldn't even believe I'd said them aloud.

He closed his eyes, agonized. All I could think at that moment was, 'How could this be happening?' Edward was expressing such deep sentiments to me, similar ones to those he told Bella but I could tell that somehow, in someway, he meant them just as much to me as he would have to her.

"The hospital? You kept cutting me off, as much as tried to tell you what I knew you just wouldn't let me speak." I complained.

"I was appalled. I couldn't believe I had put us in danger. My family, we argued. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were furious. It was the worst fight we've ever had. Carlisle sided with me, and Alice." He explained. "Esme has only ever wanted my happiness but refused to take part in the general disagreement."

"And yet after everything I've been through, here I am again. Isolated where there are no witnesses and nothing to stop me if I were to try and hurt you."

"Edward, why can't you just believe me, that you would never hurt me? From what I know, you can face much more temptation than what my blood holds for you and still make it through unscathed." I told him passionately.

"Ashley, the reason I worry is because I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt you." He hung his head again, ashamed. "The thought of you, still, white, cold…never to see you smile again, never to see that face you make when your about to say something sarcastic…it would be unendurable."

"Edward, you're my friend and I trust you." I told him sincerely.

He locked gazes with me, staring me down intently and emotionally. "You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever."

No, this couldn't be happening. This was wrong. I stood up rapidly, turning on my heel. "You can't feel that way, Edward. Not about me." I told him, forcing the words out. Part of me was screaming in joy at the idea that Edward could possibly have feelings for me the other and more dominant voice was telling me to back away because I didn't feel the same, I couldn't. He wasn't mine to take.

"Why not?" He followed me before grabbing me by my shoulders and turning me to face him.

"Because I'm not the right person for you," I told him.

"You can't know that." He spoke boldly.

I nodded my head forcefully, "Yes, I can. There's someone for you Edward and you're going to love her more than anything in the world. She's not here right now but she will be. You're going to write her music, sing her to sleep and willingly fight off tens of vampires just to keep her alive. You'll take her to prom and leave her even though it will cause you more pain than you could ever imagine. This is someone you don't want to live on this earth without and want to spend not only the rest of your life with, it's someone you want to spend eternity with."

He reached up with his hand and ran his fingers down my cheek and then softly over my bottom lower lip. I closed my eyes, just feeling his touch. And then it was gone.

"Come," he said, as though moving on in an attempt to forget that part of the conversation. "Let me show you how _I _travel in the forest. You'll be perfectly safe and it'll get us back in no time." He smiled but it didn't seem to touch his eyes. He was doing his best to cover up whatever it was he was feeling after my reaction to his words.

"No giant vampire bat?" I joked.

He laughed, "Like I haven't heard _that_ one before!"

"Sure, I'll bet people make cracks about them _all _the time." I joined in the laughter.

"Come on, climb on my back." He said, as he reached for me, lifting me up onto it.

When I was in place, he clamped my legs and arms so tightly around him that I felt like I was choking him to death.

"Would I be wrong to say mush?" I said, looking down.

He chuckled again, again trying to keep up with this façade, one that I even found myself believing for a while.

And then he took off. He streaked through the trees like something transparent. I cried out at the sudden impact of speed but after a moment laughed.

It was actually fun.

The wind ripped through my hair, pushing it out behind me and hit my body giving me the impression that we were flying. I closed my eyes to stop the dizziness of trying to focus on so many things before they were gone a second later and simply enjoyed the feeling.

After a few moments, it was over.

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" His voice was high and excited, as blown away as I was even thought it was normality for him. This emotion, I could tell, was real.

"That was great!" I said loudly, still laughing as I clung to him. Slowly he slipped me down and swung me around to the front of his body. I stopped, finding myself only inches away from his face. He looked into my eyes, deeper and deeper as though he were seeing into my soul. My expression softened as I found myself caught, locked in the moment and unable to escape and unsure if I even wanted to.

And then he broke away, releasing me.

"If we're going to get you back before dark, I suggest we leave now." He said quietly. Underneath the calm, I could hear the smallest amount of pain. I was hurting him by rejecting him like this. It was then that I made a vow to myself. If by seeing him, I was paining him, then I would have to stop. I had to get home somehow. Now. Before I did anymore damage.

So, with a heavy heart I followed Edward to the Volvo to allow him to drive me home. We drove in silence, pulling up in the drive just as the sun had begun to disappear behind the trees in a mess of colour.

Edward stopped the engine, his eyes watching my face. He opened his mouth to speak when his gaze was diverted elsewhere, past me and out the window.

"Ashley, stay here. There's someone in the front yard that I need to take care of." I turned around, startled, scanning the shadows for the shape but Edward was already getting out. Not wanting to stay put, I got out and followed. It was then that the figure stepped into the light, as I widened my eyes in surprise at who exactly it was.

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**A/N: Sorry, cliff hanger moment. ****I couldn't resist it. Anyway, I don't know when the next chapter will come considering how busy with school work I'll be this week. So, hope you liked the most recent and I will come back when I can to reveal who is waiting in Bella's front yard.**

_**Next Time: Who is standing in the dark waiting for Ashley? As Ashley tries and tries to explain to Edward why she isn't right for him (or anyone else in this world), what will happen when it seems Edward has finally accepted it? Will Ashley regret her decision?**_

_**Next Time….**_


	17. Strange & Beautiful

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, parts of storyline, some sentences, ideas….and the person who created Lost in Austen owns the concept in general. I thank them both so much. **

**A/N: So many people have tried to guess who the person in the yard was. Some of your ideas were very amusing. I mean come on guys, James? Oh yes, James is totally waiting in Bella's front yard even though he hasn't met them yet, has no idea where Bella's house is and hasn't even come into Forks yet. Hello James, why don't you come in and we'll all have tea before you try and kill us all?**

**So here you are. This is the real person in the garden. I know it'll sound disappointing compared to all your extremely dramatic ideas but this is how I wanted the story to go. By the way, this is the song I was listening to while writing most of this chapter, just in case you wanted to know. **

_**Strange and Beautiful – Aqua Lung**_

**Enjoy.**

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"Mike?" I said loudly, staring at the blonde, teenage boy that appeared out of the bushes. "What are you doing here?" I asked, forgetting my manners all of a sudden.

Mike looked uncomfortable and ashamed of himself, that is, until he caught sight of Edward on my side. Edward, on the other hand, was looking a little more murderous than uncomfortable.

I looked Mike up and down, "Mike, you're dressed ready to go to the spring dance with Jessica and you're here in the Swan's front yard." He nodded. "Why?"

He looked from me to Edward and back to me again quickly before he managed to build up enough confidence to speak. "Look, Ashley, can I speak to you alone?" He asked quietly.

I sighed, "Okay, fine." Without so much as a look at Edward, who was still shooting Mike dirty looks, – I had no idea why – I followed him over to the other side of the garden. It took some restraint not to tell Mike that coming over here would be no different than talking right in front of Edward, his hearing being at the level it was.

"Ashley, there's something I need to tell you. It's hard but you have to know." He began, avoiding my gaze.

Oh dear, I have a bad feeling about this.

He then looked directly into my eyes, taking my hands before I could react. "Ashley, I'm in love with you."

For the love of god, you have got to be kidding me.

"Mike, this isn't a good time for this," I pushed out.

He shook his head, "No, this is the perfect time. I love you and I know that if you gave it some thought, you could love me too."

NO! This is the last straw. I can't take this anymore. Everyone around here is acting insane. I have to get the damn message through once and for all.

"That's it." I said loudly and frustrated. "You," I pointed to Edward. "And you," To Mike, "Come with me now." I ordered as I headed to the front door and swiftly unlocked it. I walked into the living room, the two boys following me without argument. Standing in front of the lounge I gestured to it, "Sit." I told them, my voice hard.

As much as it pained them, they both sat, one at one end of the couch and the second at the other. I stared at them both, trying to sort words out from the babble of things clouding up my mind.

"You are both blind." I yelled. Both sets of eyes widened at me, surprised by the sudden burst of emotion.

"I am the most frustrating, annoying and obnoxious person on the planet." I continued. "I bite my nails, I spill things constantly, I talk at a rate of million miles an hour about absolute crap, I'm obsessed with characters in books that don't even exist, if I see someone with a messy part down their hair I have the urge to fix it and you know what? I usually do!" Mike looked shocked, Edward completely expressionless. "I brush my hair at least three times a day, speak at a volume that should be illegal, am amused by the simplest things in the world and every second sentence that comes out of my mouth seems to be sarcasm." I stopped, catching my breath. "I sing along with musicals, cry at the end of movies that seem completely pathetic, the same goes for some songs, I have a baby voice I use when I talk to my dog, I get excited just because the new Star Trek movie has just come to cinemas and I eat like a pig sometimes. Okay? I'm a nutcase and you don't want to have anything to do with me. And _luckily_ for you, when I leave here to go home, you'll never have to see me ever again." I finished my rant, staring at the two of them as Edward got to his feet. The moment the last few words came out of my mouth, he stood. With a short look at me, blank and unemotional, he turned around and left the room.

I had to resist flinching at the soft sound of the front door closing behind him. Edward had left. He'd listened to me. He'd finally…understood.

Good. That's good. I should feel happy or relieved in the least. So why do I feel so…so, terrible?

"Ashley, do you not have any feelings for me, at all?" Mike asked, out of nowhere. Oh my god, how much will it take to get it through his thick head?

Breathing out, my shoulders slumped and my expression weakened. I plunked myself down beside him, feeling defeated.

"Mike, you're a really nice person. A great friend but I'm sorry, I don't. Don't think that I don't like you, I do. You're great, I just don't see you in that way." I smiled, reassuringly. "Although, no boy has ever said those words to me before. I'm really flattered. Thank you," I told him sincerely.

He nodded, sadly. "But, Jessica. You and Jessica would be great together. She really likes you Mike and I think you'd really like her too if you gave her a chance."

"Yeah, Jess is really nice." He agreed. "And I _do_ like her," he told me.

"Good, because if you don't get out of here soon and pick her up for the dance she is going to murder you at school on Monday. I mean, for me it'll be quick and easy once she finds out it was because you were here but for you, it'll surely be long and _painful_." I joked.

Mike, looking a little more on the ups nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I better get going. She'd probably get Lauren to help her." He shivered in mock horror.

I laughed. "Okay, I'll see you on Monday?"

He smiled, "Yeah,"

"Tell me all about the dance." Then I stopped, frowning, "Wait, actually don't. Jess will already have given me a full account and I don't think I'll be able to take anymore after that."

"Right, no details. Agreed." He said. "Bye," with a wave, I let him out the front. I didn't wait for the car to drive away before I went upstairs.

It was there that I plunked myself on the floor, at the end of the bed in silence. All I could think of was, what have I done?

Up until this point I'd tried to do my best to make sure nothing happened with Edward. He needed to be with Bella, nothing must disrupt that. But now that I had finally succeeded in telling him just how bad it would be to be with me, I felt miserable. What had I done? I thought of Edward and his crooked smile, looking at me like I was…something amazing, like I was something more than I was. And now he didn't want to see me again and it was all my fault.

When I had read the series and people had asked me whether I was in love with Edward, I'd always told them that it was the love story that I loved, the relationship between Bella and Edward and the _intensity_ of that love. Now that I had actually lived it, spoken to Edward, spent time with him…I was finally seeing clearly.

If there was one thing that I was now absolutely positive about, it was this.

It was Edward, it had always been Edward. And I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.  
And now that I knew it, I'd lost him.

The tears began to build up slowly in the corners of my eyes and fall slowly down my cheeks as the sounds of Mike's car began to disappear down the street, leaving a depressing quiet. One in which I was have to experience my misery.

A loud knock at the window made me jump, causing me to spin my head around and look up. Through my blurred eyes, and slow falling tears I could make out a figure.

It was a boy, one with ruffled bronze hair and a beautiful pair of liquid gold eyes. Edward.

He looked down at me on the floor, his forehead creasing. I got to my feet, peering at him through the glass. "Can I come in?" He said, muffled through the shut window. I stared at him with wide eyes and nodded.

Quickly and easily, he lifted the window open and slid in. I stepped back, trying to understand how and why he had come to be here.

"Edward, w-w-what are you doing h-h-here? Y-you left, you were _gone_…" I stammered.

Edward sighed, running his hand back through his hair and looking extremely frustrated. "Ashley," he said, "You don't really think that I would have left you, do you?" He smiled now, looking at my shocked expression.

I stood there looking like an idiot. "You left, I saw you." I said quietly.

He shook his head. "I never really left, I just couldn't bear to listen to you degrade yourself any further than you already had. Also, I've been waiting for Newton to leave." He scowled. "If Jessica happened to murder him as you said she would, I don't think anyone would be all that upset."

I ignored the last part of this comment which would have made me a little angry at him, "Degrade myself?" I asked blankly.

"Yes, I refuse to listen to you say such things about yourself as though they are the reason you believe no-one should have feelings for you."

I looked at him sadly. "But they're true."

He walked closer to me, "I don't care whether you bite your nails or happen to spill things on occasion. I've become accustomed to the speed to and volume at which you talk and the things you say never cease to amaze and amuse me. You love novels, being obsessed with their contents isn't unusual or a bad thing." He looked into my eyes as he continued, making me melt slowly. "I've noticed your love for a straight part, that you want things to be neat has never bothered me. That you are amused by the simple things in life, entertains _me_. I love watching your face light up when you find something humorous or interesting."

I laughed. "Sarcasm is something we're all guilty of as is singing along with musicals. Besides, I'd much rather listen to you sing than many of those so called actors on the screen. If a song or movie has moved you so much, then why shouldn't you cry?"

I couldn't believe this was happening. Edward was contradicting or altering everything I used to drive him away. He was making everything I had said now sound like a reason, a reason why someone _should _care for me.

"The voice you use when you speak to your dog, now _that_ I would love to see."

"You wouldn't, it's just plain scary." I joked.

"The next time a Star Trek movie comes out, I'd go just to indulge you." He grinned. I had to laugh at the words 'Star Trek' coming out of his mouth. Very, very surreal.

"You already know how I feel about your eating habits, and as for your sanity, I'm yet to have reason to think you're anything but sane." He stopped, the smile disappearing. "And lastly, I am unable to see how your leaving here will be lucky for me." After all the light words, these were the serious ones.

"Edward…" I trailed off, not wanting to speak about this particular topic. I sat down on the bed. He sat beside me. "It was you who unstuck the window, wasn't it? You've been watching me, haven't you?" I asked.

He nodded, ashamed. "Yes, almost every night I come here and I watch you sleep. You look so…peaceful, so beautiful." Then an angry twinge came to his features. "Well, you were until that night in Port Angeles."

I stopped, remembering those nights of horrible dreams and sleeplessness.  
"To see you so helpless and upset, to not be able to do a thing about it, it was agonising. Then, each day I would pick you up for school and you would look more and more worn out." He confessed.

"Wait, so that's why you were so relieved that day you picked me up. That was the night I actually slept through." I remembered.

He nodded, "Yes, it was a weight off of my shoulders."

Knowing it had to be asked, I broached the subject. "I don't um, talk in my sleep do I?"

He grinned, "Only sometimes, when you're restless."

I'd once stayed at my grandparents' and because of the space my parents, my sister and I had all had to sleep in the same room. My dad had happily reported at the breakfast table in the morning that I had been raving about Harry Potter during the night to my embarrassment.

"Oh dear, what did I say?" I asked worried.

"You may have mentioned my name." He admitted.

Damn, what else? "Yes?"

"And a few other things I couldn't make sense of, names, events. Sometimes you would simply say that everything was wrong. You really are strange and beautiful." He concluded.

I looked anxious. Catching sight of my expression, Edward looked worried. "Are you very angry with me?" he asked.

I sighed, "No, I'm not angry." I told him honestly. "But why did you watch me?"

He looked frustrated and nervous at the same time. Seeing Edward nervous was something new.

"Ashley, you already know how I feel about you and like Mike I need to ask you this." He took a deep breath. "Do you have any feelings for me? If not, I won't ask again. We'll be friends, nothing more. But if you do, I need to know." He told me seriously.

He raised his hand to my cheek as I tried to find the right words to express what I had discovered before but to make sure he understood the problems.

"Edward, we can't have this conversation until…" I realised what I had to do. It was going to be difficult but it had to be done. "…until I answer all those questions on that really long mental list of yours. The ones that I said you couldn't ask. You've been honest with me, it's about time I tell you the truth." I sighed.

"I don't really know how to explain it without you thinking that I'm completely insane so I'll just have to show you." At this, I took a deep breath before reaching slowly under Bella's bed and pulling out my black, red and white covered Twilight novel.

I held it out to him and he took it, staring blankly at the cover. "Before you ask, yes, this is the novel I once told you about, my favourite. I didn't write it and this is the answer behind all those really confusing questions you have about me. Just, read it okay? Don't say anything. Read it and then tell me what you want to know. While you do, I'm going to have a shower."

It was with this that I left him sitting on the bed with the novel in his hands and a confused expression on his face.

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**A/N: Well, moment of truth. Let's just see how Edward takes this particular road bump. I**** hope it didn't suck too much and I apologize for any gramma errors. **

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: **__**After everything, Ashley has finally shown Edward the novel. Will he believe it or won't he? And will he still have feelings for her after everything she explains to him about his supposed future? **_

_**Next Time…**_


	18. Honesty

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer would be horrified by what I've done to her characters and story. Oh well, no turning back now. Thanks to whoever created Lost in Austen for the original idea.**

**A/N: I have been asked by a friend to write down above my latest chapter that her and I during our extended English class today spent over five minutes drying to free a lolly pop from ****its packaging. Frustrating little thing. Finally I got my lolly pop and now that school is finished I am partly writing this before I start studying again. If I fail my exams, I'll know what to blame won't I? Constant fan fiction writing.**

_**Beloved **__**– Yiruma & Do You – Yiruma**_

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Closing the door behind me, I began walking down the hallway trying to resist the urge to barge back in there and rip the book from Edward's hands. The shower was my attempt at a distraction.

"Ashley?" A voice from downstairs called through the house. I recognised it immediately. Charlie was obviously home from fishing. Oh damn, that would mean he'd be want fish for meals over the next few days. I crinkled my nose. Ew, I hated seafood.

"Hey Charlie," I called as I went downstairs to join him.

He was in the kitchen, putting his catch in the fridge when I found him. "Wow, they were really biting out there." I commented.

He smiled, "Yeah, good day for it." He agreed. "What'd you get up to today?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Nothing much, Edward and I took a walk but that's it." Technically that was true.

"He drive you home?" he asked. I nodded. "When'd he leave?" he assumed Edward had already left and I wasn't about to say otherwise.

"Not long ago. Bout the time Mike came to see me." I admitted. It was true that Edward had left but that didn't mean I had to mention that he'd come back.

"The Newton boy came to see you?" he looked surprised.

"Yeah, he wanted to tell me something but I told him that he was going to be late for Jessica if he stayed around much longer."

Charlie nodded as if he'd just remembered that the spring dance was on tonight. After I'd told him I wasn't going, he hadn't really had any reason to remember.

"I'm going to go have a shower." I said.

"Alright," He replied as I turned around and began doing what I had been on my way to when he'd arrived home.

I picked up the pile of pyjamas I'd left in the hallway before going down to greet Charlie and went into the bathroom.

Over the next forty-five minutes I showered, moisturised, scrubbed and blow dried everything I could to make the time go longer. I didn't know how fast Edward could read but nor did I want to walk into the room while he was still reading.

Finally, when I had nothing else left to do to myself, I picked up my clothes and padded slowly down the hallway back towards the bedroom.

I walked in and quickly shut the door behind me without looking at Edward. Having no other choice, I turned around and focused my gaze on him sitting comfortably on my bed. He shut the cover over gently before placing it in front of him on the bedspread. I looked down at him, waiting for him to speak. In some ways, I felt as though I were waiting for someone to yell duck and cover before the bomb explosion.

Without speaking, he lifted a hand and gestured for me to sit beside him. I did so, reproachfully. Unable to bare the silence anymore, I spoke. "So, err…what do you think?" I asked. The question sounded extremely out of place in this situation.

He sighed, thoughtfully. After a few seconds, he replied. "Where did you get this?" he asked.

Wanting to get everything out in the open as quickly as possible, I blurted out my words. "A bookstore," I said as though it were obvious.

He frowned, "You know what I mean."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you remember how I told you that it was the biggest thing where I'm from?" he nodded. "Well, I was telling the true. I just didn't say that where I was from was very different from here."

He looked extremely confused. "Edward, when I say I'm not from here, I mean that I'm not from this world."

His look deepened as I backtracked. "Okay, that sounds crazy, I know but it's true. How else do you explain this huh? In my world, you and Bella and everyone else here in Forks is a character in my favourite book." I pointed at the novel. "This book,"

I had expected Edward to be looking at me like I was completely insane but instead he was merely confused. "This book is the reason why I know about things before they happen, use the words you're about to say before you say them and know everyone here like I've known them for ages. Edward, I don't have a passport or birth certificate here, how in the world do you think I managed to fly across the world without them?"

I could see the gears working at top speed inside his head as he tried to process the information. Then again, how could anyone process the fact that they're a fictional character?

"How did you get here?" He asked.

"I was just sitting in the middle of my bedroom in Australia, about to read this book actually, when my door opened and Bella Swan walked into the room. You think I'm crazy? Trust me, I've been tossing the idea around in my head ever since I got here."

I looked up and saw not anxiety or anger but instead it almost seemed as if he…believed me.

"I've told you this before, you aren't insane." He said sympathetically. "But if you're here, where is Bella Swan?"

"Err…" I frowned. "She's kind of the reason I'm here. When she came into my world and I walked into hers, she shut the door between them and left me stuck here. She managed to somehow get a letter to me a little while ago saying that she was fine and that she was sorry for what she did but apparently she can't work out how to open the door again." I explained rapidly.

"This is…absurd." He exclaimed, brushing back his hair.

I frowned, "What? That you're a fictional character inside my favourite novel? I can see why you'd find it unbelievable."

He sighed, "When did you read the novel for the first time?" he asked boldly.

"About two years ago but it was originally published a year before that." I admitted.

"But how is that possible? None of this had happened yet, it _still_ hasn't happened." He objected.

"How is _any_ of this possible Edward? When you figure it out, let me know. As for it not having happened, the only reason for that is because I'm here instead of Bella. If she'd never opened that damn door I'd still be at home watching or reading about you two as you developed your relationship with each other." I stated in frustration.

"Watching?" he picked up the odd word out.

"Oh, let's just forget about the movie for now. Baby steps, baby steps." I rushed to cover it up.

He looked at me in horror, "There's a _movie_?"

"Okay, even better," I said standing up. "Let's just forget this entire conversation. Does that sound good?" My voice was hopeful.

Edward shook his head, "How do you expect me to forget about this? Despite how completely impossible it sounds, everything you've told me to support it is true." He looked slightly helpless, as if he'd just found out that fate existed and that his future had already been destined for him. He had no choice in the matter.

"Everything seems so much clearer now." He told me. "The suddenness of your arrival, Bella's disappearance, your knowledge of things before they happen, even the fact that you have two calendars." He shot out realisations one after the other.

I looked at the billboard. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Hey, I'll be sixteen in two days." I said as I looked at the second calendar set to the month of June and in time with the dates going on in my world.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked all of a sudden.

I averted my gaze, guiltily. "Because I was afraid of how you would react. I thought you'd think I was crazy. Would you have believed me had you not been able to read the book?"

He thought for a moment, "I'm not sure. Then again, there was just something about the way you looked when you told me. Your eyes, as if you believed everything you were saying so fully and completely that you were desperate to do whatever it took so that I believed you also."

"So I've won you over?" I asked in relief as I sat down again.

He smiled, "In more ways than one," he frowned again, "And as much as it unnerves me."

Remembering his earlier question, I decided that it was time to go back to it. It was time to give him an answer, that is, if he still wanted it. "Edward, now that you know, do you still want me to answer your earlier question."

He looked confused, "Which question was that? I've asked you so many unanswered ones that at times it feels as though they blend together."

I shifted uncomfortably on the bedspread, twisting my fingers in my lap before I spoke. "The one about how I felt," I could feel him tense beside me. "About you."

I allowed myself to look up again and found myself trapped, staring into his eyes. They were wide and filled with worry.

At last he nodded. "Yes, I still want you to answer it."

"You're being ridiculous!" I exclaimed, having expected him to retract it, not wanting to have anything to do with me. "We can't be together okay? You're supposed to be with Bella. You've read the novel, you know how it goes!" I cried as I stood up, pacing around the room. He stood up and followed me.

I turned around and found myself face to face with him. "Yes," he agreed. "I've read it, but you're still not answering the question."

"Because it doesn't matter anymore,"

He looked at me darkly, "Of course it matters!" he said loudly. "Don't I get a choice in who I want to be with? How I want my life to be? What if I don't want to do as this Stephenie Meyer person says I should?" I protested angrily.

I was on the verge of tears again, "Yes, you have a choice but you're making the wrong one." My throat had started to close up.

"Says who?" he replied equally as surely. "This is my decision and yours, nobody else's."

I tried to look away from him, at the carpet but was stopped when he slender fingers reached out and lifted my chin back up to face him. His eyes burned into me. Finally, I found myself almost pleading. "Edward, I would be the most hated person in the world." I told him.

My eyes began to prickle as I held back the fit. Slowly he took me in his arms and held me close to his chest. It felt like being held by stone but I was grateful all the same.

"Who could possibly hate you?" he asked quietly.

I spoke muffled into his chest, "You really have no idea just how big these stories are. Put it this way, there's enough Twilight fans to take out the Voltori."

He chuckled in my ear, "That many?"

"And if I ruin their story, guess who's going to be at the top of everyone's hit lists?" I joked.

He moved away ever so slightly, just enough to see my face properly. "I'd never let anyone hurt you."

I nodded, "So will you answer my question now?" he asked softly.

Little by little my resistance fell away until the only thing I could do was tell him the truth. "I'm in love with you Edward. I've tried to deny it but I can't anymore." I confessed.

"Don't move," he whispered. I froze while he hesitated. Just for a moment. He leaned in ever so slowly until I felt his cool, marble lips softly touch mine. I could feel my heart stop as I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. I did it gradually, doing my best to make it last as long as I could without him pulling away.

Knowing it would happen any second now, I moved away just as he did. He smiled at me, as I moved my arms. "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb." He whispered.

"What a stupid lamb," I returned his smile.

"What a sick, masochistic lion."

I laughed, "Now you're just stealing line from the book."

He gave me a teasing look, "Well, technically they're my lines of speech anyway. Therefore, I can use them if I choose to."

I stopped, listening as my stomach gave an enormous growl. "Oh dear," I said, embarrassed, knowing that he'd heard it.

"You should go and eat something. Am I right in assuming that Charlie doesn't know that I'm here?" I nodded. "Alright, I'll wait here. You eat." He urged me.

I hated to leave him sitting alone, I'd always been taught that it was rude to guests but he'd insisted and I really was starving.

"Don't worry, I'll be right here." He assured me. With a shared smile, I shut the door behind me and went to fill my empty stomach.

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**A/N: I know, not such good writing this time around. Well, worse than normal. I had a really hard time with writing this chap because working out Edward's reaction to this information was hard to determine. At one point I had him laughing at it but then I decided to take a more serious approach before getting into the romantic serious things.**

**_Next Time on Living in Meyer: Time to meet the Cullens. And now that Edward finally knows about the novel, together will Ashley and he stop events from playing out as they did before or is fate really unavoidable?_**

_**Next Time….**_


	19. Logic

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Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer practically owns it all except for the concept which whoever created Lost in Austen gave me the idea for. Big thanks to you both.

**A/N: Thank you to all those wonderful people who read my story and also to those who review. We've reached over 200 reviews and according to my stats, over 1000 people have read the story. Again, a big thank you to you guys! Hope you continue to read and like what I write. So now that I'm done gushing, here's the next chapter.**

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I have never eaten so fast in my life.

"Where's the fire?" Charlie asked as he watched me scoff down a particularly large piece of lasagne. I'd shoved it in the oven just after Mike had left and before I'd gone upstairs. I was lucky that Charlie had been smart enough to remove it because it had slipped my mind completely.

"Nowhere, I'm just starving. I forgot to have lunch." I told him, shovelling in more food.

Charlie frowned, "Ashley, I've seen you when you forget to eat. I don't want you having dizzy spells when you don't have to."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, I know. Like I said, I forgot."

When I don't eat for a while and sit or lie down for a period, I find myself faced with a few moments of dizziness and loss of vision when I stand up. It's no big deal. I just need to get up slowly and eat regularly. My mum is always worrying about it.

Happy with my empty plate and now full stomach, I washed my plate up in the sink and put it away. "I'm going to go to bed. That walk with Edward took a lot out of me." I lied.

Charlie looked at me reproachfully, "Really? You look kind of keyed up." He noted.

"Huh. Don't know why that is." Sure you don't Ashley, maybe because there's a certain someone waiting for you in the upstairs bedroom?

"Don't have any plans?" Charlie asked.

I shook my head, "Nope, everyone's at the dance. I'm all for a good night's sleep. See you in the morning Charlie." I smiled.

"'Night Ashley,"

I walked quickly up the stairs and down the small hallway until I reached Bella's closed door. It creaked a little when I opened and closed it.

"Edward?" I called out, squinting in the darkness. I reached out for the light switch and flipped it.

Just as the light came on, I caught sight of him. "Over here," he said with a smile.

"Whoa!" I cried, as his appearance startled me. He was laid back on the bed, the picture of ease.

"I'm sorry," he said, hiding a smile as he sat up.

"It's okay," I said, holding a hand on my chest. "Just make some sort of noise next time _before_ I switch on the light."

"Why don't you sit with me?" he offered, making room for me again. "How's the heart?" he asked as I sat.

"Doesn't your supersonic hearing already know the answer to that question?" I joked.

Edward frowned, an expression that resembled Charlie's downstairs. "Are you alright? You look a little…overexcited."

I smiled, "That's you and Charlie both."

"Oh and before I forget, if walks like that take so very much out of you, I must make sure I'm careful not to exert you too much in the future," he teased, referring to Charlie's and my conversation.

"Ha, ha, ha," I replied.

He leaned in slowly and rested his forehead against mine, breathing in and out slowly. It was hard to make proper verbal sounds when he got this close to me. "How do you keep doing that? Isn't it driving you insane? I mean, if someone attached a Cadbury chocolate bar to a string and waved it around me, saying I couldn't eat it, I'd be seriously in pain."

He laughed. "Then I guess we know whose self control is better, don't we?" He went on. "Besides, I've never understood the draw people have to that brown, sticky substance anyway."

As he leaned back, my jaw dropped. "You did not just call chocolate a brown, sticky substance."

He grinned, "But that's what it is."

I frowned, "Well, maybe it is but it's more than that!"

"A path to obesity?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "That's just cruel." I said, folding my arms across my chest.

Laughing, he pulled me close to him again. "Alright, I promise not to insult your little human indulgence anymore." He whispered in my ear.

"Good," I told him. "If you'd kept on going, I would have started on about cars."

He raised an eyebrow, "Ashley," he said.

"Yes?"

"You don't know anything about cars." He told me smugly.

"Well, compared to Rosalie, neither do you." I shot back with a smile.

He rolled his eyes. I continued as I laughed, "In the second book you offer to look at Mike Newton's car just to get out of having to answer questions from Bella."

He looked stunned again, "Firstly, I offer to look at Mike Newton's car? Now, that would never happen and second, there's a second book?"

I nodded, "And a third and a fourth."

"Of which I play a part in I'll imagine?"

"The third and fourth book yes, but the second book you leave at the beginning and we don't really hear from you again until you try to get yourself killed by the Voltori."

He froze, "Excuse me?" he pushed out.

"Oh, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that part?" I backtracked.

He looked at me darkly, "What else do these books say should happen in my near and distant future?"

"Nothing really," the look darkened until I started blabbering again, "Except that you take on an army of newborn vampires, get married to a human, have some sort of half-half child called Renesmee and you have this whole big who ha about immortal children, oh and you end up being best friends with a werewolf." I frowned, "Make that two werewolves."

"And you actually read this?" he asked, shocked.

I nodded, "Well, most of what I just told you is from the last book which personally, I wasn't too big on. It seemed a little far out even for this series. I liked Bella better when she wasn't a vampire."

Edward let me go, shaking his head. "I'm sorry I asked."

"But the first three are good!" I told him brightly. Seeing his expression, I decided a change of subject would be good.

"I'm sorry Edward, I know this still sounds stupid to you. Let's talk about something else."

"That suits me," he shot me a weak smile.

"You're so much freer now, happier." I noted.

He brushed away some strands of my slightly wavy hair. "Isn't this how it's supposed to feel? The glory of first love, and all that. It's incredible, isn't it, the difference between reading about something, seeing it in the pictures, and experiencing it?" He stopped, realising what he'd just said. He'd mentioned certain things without knowing just how relevant they were to our situation.

"Very different," I agreed. "One hundred times better,"

"You already know what I'm going to say, but I want to say it just the same." He told me as I nodded. "I've read about the emotion of jealousy a hundred thousand times, seen actors portray it in a thousand different plays and movies. I believed I understood that one pretty clearly. But it shocked me…" He grimaced. "Those days where Mike Newton and Eric Yorkie asked you to the spring dance, even when Mike was here confessing himself to you earlier, I was surprised by the flare of resentment, almost fury, that I felt. I didn't recognise what it was at first. I was even more aggravated than usual that I couldn't know what you were thinking, why you refused them. Was it simply for your friends' sake? Was there someone else? I knew I had no right to care either way, I _tried_ not to care."

I took his hand, "You don't need to explain this to me, I know what you mean. If you wanted to know, the reason I refused them was because that was how the story was supposed to go. Not that I wanted to go with them or anything, but I'd done enough playing around with things. Tyler is just one example of that." I looked down, guilty.

"That wasn't your fault. You didn't know when it would happen or where exactly. You couldn't even know if it would happen at all. There is no possible way that his death was your fault. It was an accident, nothing more." He reassured me.

I sighed, "Also, I have a theory about why you can't read my mind. I have no idea how it makes sense but it sounds oddly logical in some extremely weird way."

"I'm listening."

"I think it's maybe because I don't belong in this world. Like Bella my brain waves are probably on a different frequency or something. The reason you can't read it is because it's different from people here."

"You make it sound like your some sort of alien from a distant planet." He smiled. "Ashley, you're still human."

I shrugged, "Oh well, it was just an idea."

"I wonder," he thought, on a new note. "What would happen if I were to enter your world do you suppose?"

I laughed, "You'd probably get tackled by the nearest bunch of fan girls at the first time you used your name."

He smirked, "They'd have to catch me first."

"True," I nodded.

"What –" I started to ask as I felt his body go stiff and he disappeared in a flash from my sight. I muttered an 'Ow' as I fell off the bed and onto the floor.

"Lie down!" he hissed from somewhere in the dark. I noticed that he'd turned off the light as I'd hit the floor.

Scrambling about, I leaped onto the bed and jumped in under the covers. I turned over on my side, away from the door and closed my eyes, acting naturally. None of this exaggerated breathing stuff that Bella would have done.

A small crack of light entered the room as Charlie peered in, making sure that I was doing as I said I was. Finally, after a long moment, the door shut again and I could feel Edward at my side.

"Not bad," he whispered in my ear.

"Why thank you." I told him.

He paused, watching me thoughtfully. "You mentioned earlier today in your little rant about finding the someone I was supposed to be with – I'll assume that you were referring to Bella Swan," I nodded. "That one of the things I would do for her is sing her to sleep."

"Yes, you do that quite often for her in the novels. It's very sweet." I told him honesty.

"Do you want me to sing _you _to sleep?"

I yawned, "But I'm not tired."

He chuckled, "Sure you aren't." He held me close to him and moved the blankets up over me properly.

"Go on, I promise to be here when you wake up." He whispered.

"These days my dreams are the same as reality. How will I know when I've woken up?" I asked.

"That's something you'll just have to work out for yourself." He told me. "Now, close your eyes."

The last thing I knew was the feel of his face in my hair and the sound of his beautiful voice humming softly in my ear as I slowly drifted into slumber, safe in his cold arms.

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**A/N: Okay, I am so ready to bring in the Cullens. Yay! Remember to review. I love reviews. **

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: Welcome to the Cullen house. Ashley meets the rest of the Twilight vampires, has to deal with an angry Rosalie, answer questions from a confused Alice and somehow withhold the enormous amount of bubbling excitement she feels with every moment she spends in fictional forks. How will she go?**_

_**Next Time…**_


	20. The Cullens

**Disclaimer: All Twilight characters, locations, certain lines of speech etc. belong to Stephenie Meyer and the concept of the idea belongs to whoever created 'Lost in Austen'. Thanks so much to them both!**

**A/N: ****I was inspired by you wonderful readers to write another chapter. I told myself that if I finished my practice Othello essay and did some entertainment study I could write more fan fiction. So I did so and here it is. Enjoy!**

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When I awoke in the morning, I sat up quickly and wide eyed. When I looked to my right I caught sight of Edward sitting relaxed inside Bella's old rocking chair. I blinked at him blankly before lying down again and throwing the covers up over my head.

"I'm dreaming again," I moaned, rolling over under the sheets.

Edward chuckled loudly from across the room before I felt him beside me. "Are you going to get up now?" he asked.

"No," I said. "Because you're not real and besides, it's nice and warm under here." My voice was muffled by the material. It really was nice under there. My body wasn't looking forward to the cold feeling I would experience the moment I decided to get up.

"I don't disagree about the warmth of your bed but as for my existence, the last time I checked, I was very much a real person." He told me.

I rolled over on my back and pulled the doona down low enough so that my eyes were revealed. He looked down at me with a smile.

"Why hello there," he said.

I blinked. "Hi," I said back. He reached down and pulled the covers down further so that he could see my face. And then I realised. "Oh god, I really need a brush." I could feel my fringe vastly askew across my forehead and I had a feeling that parts of my hair were no longer fully pulled back in a pony-tail.

"Yes, your hair looks like a haystack…but I like it."

I rolled my eyes, "Of course you do." I threw back the covers and hopped out onto the floor. Getting up in the morning was never really a problem for me. I was more a morning person than a night person.

"I'll be right back," I told him, stumbling as I rushed to the bathroom. It took me all of a few moments to run the brush through my hair and brush my teeth. Trust me, the before hair did not look so good.

Edward was sitting, waiting when I came back. He held out his arms for me and smiled as I sat down in them.

"Considering how different a person you are, you perform very similar actions to what Bella Swan does in your novel." He murmured.

"Well she seems to make good enough choices a lot of the time. Why fight them?" I grinned. "About what time did you leave?" I asked, playing with his new, ironed collar.

He watched my fingers, "About midnight. Usually you're quite a light sleeper but from the noises that were going on outside you must have been exhausted last night."

"Couldn't possibly be as bad as my sister once sleeping through our house alarm And boy, is that thing loud!" I told him.

He rocked me back and forward slowly, playing with my hair until at last he brought up food. "Breakfast time," he said.

"Would I be lame to attempt to hold my throat and pretend you meant me?"

"Considering that I've now read the book, you're going to have to start creating some of your own jokes." He teased.

I pretended to look hurt, "Are you saying that I don't come up with anything original myself?"

He rolled his eyes, "Food. No more of this starving yourself until dinner again today."

I got to my feet, "Well there goes that eating disorder of mine." I said sarcastically.

Edward frowned as he stood, "Not funny,"

"Come on." I said, as we both began making our way downstairs. Once we'd entered the kitchen I began rustling up a bagel before smothering it in strawberry jam.

"Nothing for you I'm assuming?" I asked, looking at his disgusted face. Human food isn't so big with vampires.

"I'm surprised you've got any teeth _left _with the amount of sugar you consume in that breakfast alone" He said, eyeing my jam.

"Oh, it gets better." I said, laughing as I went to the fridge to retrieve the apple juice bottle. Edward shook his head, looking at the ceiling as he caught sight of it.

As I ate I reassured him, "If it makes you feel better, I don't usually eat this everyday."

"What else do you have?" he asked in curiosity.

I frowned, "Vegemite toast. The only problem is that stupid America doesn't have proper vegemite." I complained as I took an enormous mouthful of bagel. Vegemite and Tim tams, the works of the beautiful continent I call my home. Although it's sad considering that both companies are now owned by American organisations.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Edward asked, using Bella's words.

"How about meeting your family," I suggested happily. It was about time I finally met the famous Cullen family. Resisting giving Rosalie a blonde joke would be hard but I could manage it if I tried really hard or…duct taped my mouth.

"What about a drive to Seattle?" Edward recommended instead.

I pretended to think on it, "Or I could meet your family." I repeated.

He raised an eyebrow, "We could go see a film." He tried again.

"But how about….well, I don't know, I meet your family."

Edward sighed, "I thought you were tired of doing exactly the same things as in the book. I'm trying to make things more interesting for you and you're making it extremely difficult."

"Don't worry Edward. Things are going to be more interesting anyway." I told him.

He looked worried, "Why is that?"

I grinned, "Because I'm generally just an interesting person." I said jokingly.

Edward returned my smile, "I'm not about to disagree with you on that one." As I picked up my dirty dishes and placed them on the sink he groaned. "Fine, I guess that means we're going to my place."

I turned around and looked at him pleased. "Well, what a great idea!"

The eye roll in reply was enormous.

After I changed into proper day clothes, I came downstairs to meet him in the living room. He smiled as he took in my appearance. "It's not fair, no-one should look so tempting." He said as I walked towards him.

I walked closer but stopped when he came within inches of my face. My breathing slowed and my heart stopped beating. Without realising I was doing it, I found myself leaning in slowly. He leaned in too but froze just a few millimetres from my lips, his crooked smile spreading across his face.

"Some things have to be different. I've got to keep you on your toes don't I?" He whispered as he moved away, leaving me scowling in disappointment.

******

The drive out of forks and down the winding road through the forest trees was peaceful and relaxing. Edward and I talked more, with him eager to know what I already knew about his family. I let a few pieces of info slip but some of the others I preferred to keep to myself. Edward wasn't too impressed by this.

Finally the beautiful, old house came into view. It was a faded white, three stories tall and covered in doors and windows, letting in light from every direction. I could hear the river running nearby and the other sounds of nature in the background as I got out of the car. Edward had parked out front instead of inside the enormous garage.

"Wow," I gasped. "It's how I always imaged it."

He followed my eyes as I took in every angle of his home. "You like it?" he asked, smiling.

I nodded, "It's beautiful." I said truthfully.

We headed to the front door, me standing nervously as I waited for him to open the door. "Are you alright?" He was clearly focusing on my constant playing with my hair. It was something I did when I was either bored or nervous. Now, I was most definitely nervous.

"I'm fine, just a little worried." I said, still twirling. He reached up and grabbed my fingers, holding them gently in his hand.

"Relax. You look beautiful and I'm right beside you. You have nothing to worry about." He told me.

He opened the door revealing a bright, open and large room. Everything from the colour of the walls to the scarce furniture was varying shades of white. There was a massive curving staircase and a wall completely made up of glass overlooking the river. It was the sort of place you imagined for those ball scenes in fairytales but also in the colour scheme that people like me should avoid being in for fear of staining or breaking something.

Esme and Carlisle were waiting patiently for us on the other side of the room. They were very still and silent, merely waiting for us to move toward them.

We walked over before Edward introduced us. "Carlisle, Esme," Edward's voice echoed in the silence, "this is Ashley."

"You're very welcome, Ashley." Carlisle greeted me as he held out a hand to shake.

I took it, "It's nice to meet you well…to meet you _again_ Dr. Cullen." I said, using the professional name in attempt to sound polite.

"Please, call me Carlisle." I nodded at him, knowing that he would say this.

"It's very nice to know you." Esme said as I felt Edward relax beside me. His relief was evident.

I opened my mouth about to say 'ditto' but the word sounded extremely inappropriate for this setting and point in time, let alone the company I was with.

"Thanks," I said quietly, smiling.

"Where's Alice and Jasper?" Edward asked. No-one answered his question but I was already turned to face the staircase where the pair had appeared at the top.

"Hey Edward!" Alice called out with enthusiasm. She ran quickly until she reached us and stopped. Carlisle and Esme were looking worried.

"Hi, Ashley!" She greeted me as she bounced up and down. The resemblance to her and my friend Sarah in terms of personality was just plain scary.

"Hey, Alice!" I said loudly, trying to reach her level of brightness.

She gave me a look, "I have some questions for you later on. Your future's been confusing me out of my mind."

Edward laughed, "Don't tell her anything. Not knowing things for a change will be good for her."

She stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to me. "You do smell nice, I never noticed before," she commented, staring at me. "It's sweet like some sort of human dessert." I raised an eyebrow while Edward just looked extremely worried.

"Hello Ashley," Jasper said, keeping his distance.

I smiled sympathetically at him, knowing the reason for his actions. "Don't worry Jasper, you won't try to hurt me." I frowned, remembering New Moon. "Well, at least for now."

Edward stiffened at my side, as did Jasper in front of me. "Okay, let's just pretend I never said that." I said quickly, covering it up. No need to get everyone paranoid about something that may or may not happen.

"You have a beautiful home. It's more wonderful than I ever imagined." I told Esme, changing the subject. She looked happy at the compliment but confused by the idea that I had been imagining it. It was at that moment that I realised that Edward hadn't let them in on my little secret. Great, more lies to be told.

"Thank you," Esme said. "We're so glad that you came." She spoke sincerely. I looked around the room, realising that Emmett and Rosalie were nowhere to be seen. Oh that's right, Rosalie probably wasn't too happy with me. That sucked, I was really eager to meet Emmett. He'd always been a hilarious character to read about. Betting with Jasper, fifty dollars, an irritable grizzly bear shredding his shirt – as present from Rosalie, 100 dollars, but Emmett's reaction when Bella beats him in an arm wrestling match, _priceless_.

Carlisle gave Edward a brief look, before I turned away.

It was as I was looking around that my eyes locked in on the beautiful grand piano. I'd been playing for years but never had I ever seen an instrument so elegant and amazing. This was where Edward composed his music.

Esme noticed my gaze. "Do you play?" she asked, nodding her head at the piano.

I smiled. "Yeah, a little," I said.

She looked eager and interested all of a sudden. "Would you play for us?"

I shook my head, looking embarrassed and awkward. "Thanks but no, it would be shocking in comparison to Edward's playing." I shifted my feet.

She smiled at me sympathetically. "I doubt that's true."

"I'd love to but I tend to forget the limited amount of music I actually have memorised when I play in front of other people. I'd just embarrass myself." To my relief, she didn't push the subject any further. "But, I'd love to hear Edward play." I pushed out.

"Play for her, Edward." Esme encouraged him.

Edward raised an eyebrow, "You've always told us that showing off is rude." Edward objected.

"There are exceptions to every rule," she replied.

I gestured to the piano, "Go on, please." I said.

He gave me an exasperated look before Esme gave him a push towards the piano. Giving in, he sat down and placed his fingers on the keys. Beautiful music filled the room as his finger flowed across the ivory. They moved so quickly and so gracefully I had to gasp. The composition was complex but worthy of any of the pieces created by famous composers in previous centuries. Maybe even better.

"If I thought my playing sucked before, it's nothing to how bad it seems now." I mumbled. My eyes were closed as I listened to the music. I heard him laugh.

Slowly the music changed into something different and I sighed. It wasn't Bella's lullaby but it was a piece.

"You inspired this one," he said softly.

A piece he'd written for me. Just for me.

I smiled as I listened. The music at the beginning was bubbly and happy with a beautiful melody woven through. As the notes continued, the music gradually slowed the same melody but now with an entirely new sound.

"When I began I was thinking about how everyone around you sees you, as an excitable, warm and talkative person. Then I got to know you better and…" he kept playing the slower part of the piece. "It became this. The sweet and selfless person you are inside."

"It's really wonderful Edward, you're…amazing. Thank you." I choked out. At last his finger came to a stop, the last note lingering in the air.

"They like you, you know," he said. "Esme especially," I didn't bother to look behind me. I already knew that they'd be gone. "You've heard me play," Edward shot me a grin. "Now it's your turn."

I opened my mouth to protest but he stopped me. "You have no excuse, we're alone. Play for me, please." He gave me a look, his eyes smouldering. There was no way anyone could say no to that face.

With a sigh, I sat down on the stool before touching the keys. They were smooth to touch under my fingertips. And then I began to play. I knew that no matter what I did, it could never compare to Edward but I did my best. To my surprise I actually remembered the piece from start to end. A love theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer as it was, another one of my other vampire obsessions.

Edward watched in silence until I had finished. "See?" he said. "That wasn't too hard, was it?"

I shrugged. "I guess not. But like I said, it doesn't even compare to your work." I moved my fingers away. "You know, I've always wanted to write my own music but I've never had the patience or the knowledge." I confessed.

Edward approached me quietly from behind. "Put your hands back on the keys," he told me. I did so, letting them sit lightly. To my utter shock, he moved his arms around my sides and sat his hands atop mine. "Relax," he whispered in my ear.

And ever so slowly, he began to move my fingers over the keys, forming a simple but beautiful melody. I could feel his breath on my neck and his smooth fingers, lightly guiding my own.

In this room of white and full of beautiful music, if I had been dead and believed in god, I would have thought it could only be one place.

Heaven.

* * *

**A/N: A few of you thought that my last chapter was tad rushed. Hopefully I've improved on that slightly. I could have written more this chapter but decided to keep it short, well....shorter. If I wanted to I could write long chapters but they're a little bit much when publishing it as fan fiction. Although, I promise you guys a sort of long chapter next time.**

**Remember to review. :)**

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: A magical movie moment come true, some more time with members of the Cullens and dilemmas about attendance at a Cullen family baseball game. With Edward and Ashley both fully aware of the consequences of attending such an event, will they tempt fate or send the story in a brand new direction?**_

_**Next Time…**_


	21. Baseball

**Disclaimer: I don't own the ideas, concepts, characters, settings and even some of the dialogue. Thanks SM.**

**A/N: Sorry, it's been a while. Exams, studying, that of which I'm going to do once I put this chapter up. I've been typing for a while on it in little bits but just finished it in a big block. Hope it's okay and not too rushed. It seems like ages ago that I was writing about them playing piano together. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy.**

* * *

"So," I said, getting up from the piano and remembering something that I'd been curious about before. "Who exactly from your family knows about Twilight?" I asked.

He shifted his gaze, "Only Alice and I."

I made an assumption, "Let me guess, she saw it in a vision?"Edward nodded in agreement. "Oh, before I forget. When Carlisle was sort of non-verbally saying something to you before, was that about James, Victoria and Laurent?"

He gave me a look, as if to remind me to stick to present and what I should know rather than what I was assuming from info in my books. "Was it?" I pushed.

He sighed, "A group of rogue vampires are in the area, yes. " He glared at me. "But as for being on name acquainted level, I'll save that for when I actually meet them."

"You mean _we_," I corrected him.

The glared deepened, hardly. "No, I mean I. You aren't going anywhere near them, especially after what we've read."

I rolled my eyes. "Kill joy." I mumbled under my breath. If he heard it, he ignored it. Then it occurred to me that we were actually in his house and where I wanted to be was…

"Oh! Upstairs." I cried, as I began rushing upstairs. About half way up the staircase I stumbled and almost fell flat on my face. I looked behind me at Edward who was shaking his head in dismay. Ignoring this, I continued running until I reached the top. When I caught sight of the old Cullen cross, I knew that I was heading in the right direction.

I felt a whoosh of air rush past me before I turned the corner. At the end of the hallway was a door, one that led into a bedroom. I glanced to my side and jumped. "Oh my god, don't do that!" I cried, breathing heavily from the shock and the run.

Edward grinned from beside me. "Seeing that look of surprise on your face is so rare, I doubt it will ever get old."

I scowled, before freezing. "Wait," I listened, hearing voices along the corridor, coming from another room.

"What is it?" Edward asked.

I walked past him and began briskly crossing the hall until the speech became louder. Eventually I found the right door and stopped. Shooting Edward a huge grin, I quickly threw open the door and bounded into the bedroom.

Standing in the centre of the room were two people, Emmett and Rosalie. "I _thought _I heard you." I exclaimed, taking them in. Emmett looked surprised, Rosalie livid.

I walked forward, noticing that Edward had come in behind me. His anxiety was back in full force.

"Wow," I said, looking at Rosalie. "You really are gorgeous. It's too bad that you hate my guts. Oh well." Ignoring Rosalie's expression, I turned to Emmett and smiled. "And you look just like an oversized teddy bear." I laughed. "You're _so _much more awesome in person."

Emmett raised an eyebrow but was still grinning when he looked to Edward. "Where'd you pick her up?" he asked.

Stepping back at Rosalie's sudden sharp tone, I gave a embarrassed smile. "Sorry, major fan girl moment."

Emmett shot Edward another look, "Don't ask." Edward told him.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Rosalie snapped, cutting in. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, right. I'm in your room, privacy. Err….sorry. I'll just leave now." I stuttered, heading past Edward and out the door. Just as I reached the door, my body walked straight into the doorframe with a smack. "Ouch," I cried as Emmett roared with laughter. Once I reached the corridor, I doubled back and leant around the door frame, "It was nice to meet you." I said before changing my voice to a more excited pitch, "This is so _cool_!" I squealed quietly.

It was only on our way back up towards Edward's room that I heard Emmett chuckle, "I like _her_."

Edward laughed from beside me, "It seems that you've made an impression. How's your head?"

"Okay." I said. We had again reached the door. Gesturing after me, I entered before Edward.

My eyes darted around the room, attempting to take everything in. On the wall to the south, spanned an entire length of clear, glass window while the western wall was covered from top to bottom with CDs. It was better stocked than any JB-Hi-Fi or Sanity store I'd ever been to, plus a whole lot better organised. My friend, Tatum, would have been proud of his proper separation of album genres. In the corner sat an expensive and complicated looking stereo system. The room was well padded, a way to achieve good acoustics. To my side, there was the famous leather couch and on various surfaces were piles of books, journals and notes. It was probably how Edward spent his time during the night while the others were…ahem…doing other things – Breaking Dawn; it scarred my view of the Cullen's for life.

"It's so smooth and sophisticated yet," I eyed the books. "Your thoughts seem to be all over the place."

He sighed. "What?" I asked.

"You cannot understand how relieving it feels to have someone outside of what I know, who finally understands. Not needing to keep secrets. I like it. It makes me…happy." He explained honestly.

"I'm happy that you're happy." I replied. I'd always liked hearing his thoughts and feelings. It made me feel like I was more on the inside than that of the outside.

"Don't worry, just because I'm realising that my fictional world is real, doesn't mean I'm going to start getting scared of you all of sudden. No running and screaming in my future, ask Alice." I joked.

He smiled weakly and nodded. "Well, at least I hope not." I amended. "Still, even so, it won't be because of you. You're not scary in the slightest." I told him boldly.

He raised his eyebrows before shooting me a wicked smile, "Not frightening am I?" he chuckled, "You _really _shouldn't have said that."

Knowing that he was about to pin me down, I attempt to move out of the way but failed. He leapt into the air, lithely and we crashed into the sofa. Damn human reflexes. He held me securely against his chest in a ball. His eyes were bright with humour. "What? No, 'you wouldn't!'" He mimicked my voice.

I looked shocked, "Firstly, was that supposed to be _me_?" he laughed. "And second, I didn't have to ask because sadly, I already knew that you would."

"No attempts to get away?" he teased.

I frowned, "Yes, only problem is that you're a little bit faster than I am."

"A little?" he scoffed.

I nodded, grinning. "Am I allowed to be free at some point? Or are we going to sit like this forever, not that I mind of course."

"Can we come in?" Alice's soft voice asked from the hall. Edward readjusted us into a more company acceptable position, leaving me sitting on his lap.

"Go ahead." Edward called, still chuckling.

Alice didn't seem to care about the way we were sitting. She bounded gracefully into the room, bouncing around. "Okay," she said, looking at me. "Questions time," Jasper slunk in quietly, looking a little shocked at our seating arrangements.

Edward rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Alice…" he began.

"This isn't about you Edward, this about Ashley and I." she cut him off. Oh great, what now? "Ashley, would you happen to have any idea why when I try to see more than a day or so into your future I get nothing?" she asked. I could tell just how agitated she was by this.

"Nothing? What do you mean by nothing?" I asked.

She frowned, "All I see is some door, and then nothing. It's black, fuzzy, gone!" she cried.

"Errr…I have no idea. I hope I haven't died or something. That wouldn't be good." I felt Edward's arms tense around me and his body go rigid.

Alice quickly shook her head, "Oh no, nothing like that. I would have seen it."

I gave her an apologetic look, "Well, sorry. I haven't got a clue."

She sighed, "Oh well, I'll find out eventually." She said confidently.

"Hey Ed," Jasper joined in the conversation, "Alice says there's going to be a real storm tonight, and Emmett wants to play ball. Are you game?" Jasper smiled, eagerly.

Edward looked at him regretfully, "Sorry Jazz, I'm going to have to sit this one out." He explained, to my surprise.

"What? Why?" I asked, spinning my head around. He looked down at me as though I were a complete idiot for asking.

"Ashley, I'm putting you anywhere near those other vampires. You know what will happen. What's the point of having prior knowledge of these things if I can use to it keep you safe?"

I was taken aback, "Edward, you yourself said things have changed. You don't know whether things will go the same way they did before. Please, I really want to see you guys play baseball."

Alice, who had some understanding of what we were talking about, was watching the both us earnestly. Jasper, on the other hand, was looking extremely confused.

"You hate watching sports." Edward told me.

I scowled, "Yes, but you'll make regular baseball look interesting."

He raised an eyebrow at this comment. "Have you ever _seen_ a game of normal baseball before?"

I thought for a moment before answering carefully, "Well, not exactly. But it doesn't mean I don't want to watch you all play."

Edward frowned, "I don't care. We're not going."

Time to start the pleading and begging, "Edward, _please_. Just fifteen minutes." I reasoned.

"No," he said firmly.

"Ten…" I tried again.

"Ashley…"

Last resort, "Okay, five, five short minutes. That's all I want. You can time me! We'll be gone before the others even know that we're there."

Edward groaned, shaking his head. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

I was definitely getting somewhere, "Please, please, please. Five minutes."

He looked at my pleading face and faltered before sighing.

"Come on Edward, if anything is going to happen I'll know it before you do." Alice chimed in.

With a final, uncertain look at me, he gave in. "Alright, five minutes. No more. Then we leave." He said. His tone showed that this was as much as he was willing to give and there would be no more pushing on the matter.

"Yay!" I cried, bouncing up and down. Alice laughed, a soprano sounding voice that sounded like music.

Jasper stepped back toward the door. "Good, now that that's sorted."

"Let's go see if Carlisle will come." Alice bounded up to the door gracefully.

"Like you don't know," Jasper teased as they both swiftly departed. Jasper closed the door inconspicuously behind him.

"Now, why in the world do you want to watch us play baseball?" Edward asked once they'd gone.

I grinned, "It's the American pastime." I joked.

He rolled his eyes. "Before you go, I've got something to show you." He said, remembering something he'd forgotten.

"Oh? What?" I asked, curious.

He grinned, "That's for me to know and you to find out." He told me slyly.

Taking my hand he led me back down the corridor and towards a door up the end. We went past Carlisle's study and the hanging cross until we came to the end.

Edward stood in front of me, smiling. "Close your eyes." I raised an eyebrow. "Trust me, it's a surprise." He told me. I sighed before shutting my eyes and waiting for him to lead me wherever it was he was taking me. I listened as he swung open the door in front of us and took me by my hands. Slowly he pulled me into what I assumed was the centre of the room. Finally, we stopped. He let my hands go and stepped away.

"Open your eyes." He whispered in the silence.

My lids fluttered open and I took in my surroundings. It was a library, a beautiful, enormous and well stocked library. "Oh my god," I breathed, spinning around and looking at every case, and book.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked.

I nodded, as I walked towards him. "It's….wonderful."

"I remembered the day that you told me about your obsession with that scene in Beauty and the Beast. I wanted to do something special for you and well, this seemed like the most appropriate action." He explained. "Besides, it's not something you were expecting."

"Thank you Edward, it's wonderful. You're so lucky to have all this." I said wistfully.

He shook his head, "You can use it whenever you want." He told me.

Staring down into my eyes, he cupped my face in his hands. Slowly he leant in and pressed his lips on mine. Here was the kiss he'd owed me from this morning. Except now, it was ten times better. I pulled myself closer to him, feeling dizzy. His kisses were so gentle and so soft. They expressed his deeper feelings but also showed me that he had to restrain himself in order to keep me safe. Still, safe or not, it was a feeling I wouldn't give up for anything in the world.

Breaking away before he began to think about my scent too much, he took my hand again. "Come," he said. "If we're going to get you home before we have to go out again, we'd better leave now.'

And with that we left the library.

******

The sky had begun to drizzle by the time Edward pulled up at Charlie's place. Although it seemed that he would be staying with me, we both knew who would be waiting in a parked car back at the Swan's. A weathered Ford was sitting parked in the driveway. Edward mumbled something harshly which I ignored. He had no right to complain, it wasn't as though he didn't already know this was coming.

Edward's voice was furious. "This is crossing the line." He said.

"Relax its fine. Charlie's not here. Billy can't really do anything and you know it." I reminded him. "I'll deal with it,"

Loosening him limbs a little, he looked down at me. "I'll be back soon," Before I got out of the car, he swiftly leant in and kissed me on the forehead. Billy did not look happy with this particular action.

I hurried through the now heavier rain until I reached the porch, joining the Blacks.

"Hey Jacob, hi Billy," I greeted them. "I hope you haven't been out here too long. It's pretty miserable." I began unlocking the door. "Charlie's out fishing for the day but you can come in and dry off in you want." I held the door open for them both as Jacob wheeled Billy's chair through into the hallway.

"Oh, here," He handed me the package he was holding.

"Harry Clearwater's homemade fish fry?" I guessed as I took it.

"Yeah, it's Charlie's favourite." He told me.

I nodded, "I better get it in the fridge then."

"He's fishing again?" I nodded. "Down at the usual spot? Maybe I'll run by and see him." He looked at me with a subtle gleam in his eye. Still, it didn't worry me. Billy could do whatever he wanted. It wasn't going to affect me. Charlie wasn't my parent and besides, the last time Billy had broached the whole avoid the Cullen's subject, they'd argued and not spoken for a while.

"I really have no idea. I don't really ask Charlie about his fishing plans. He could be anywhere and in the weather, _I_ wouldn't want to go looking for him." I advised.

Billy looked thoughtful, taking in my expression. "Jake, why don't you go get that new picture of Rebecca out of the car? I'll leave that for Charlie, too."

"Where is it?" Jacob asked, his voice flat.

"I think I saw it in the trunk, you may have to dig for it." Billy suggested as Jacob slouched out into the rain.

We stared at each other in silence before I found myself feeling so awkward I had to break it. "Billy, your concern is well noted. I understand what you're thinking but how I spend my time is none of your business." I tried to keep my tone pleasant in an attempt not to sound rude when I told him to butt out.

He didn't look offended which was good.

"Ashley," he said. "Charlie is one of my best friends."

I nodded, "I understand that and I know that you don't think that spending time with the Cullens is a bad idea but that's my decision to make. I'm well informed." I explained.

"Hmmm…" He said thoughtfully. "Yes, better informed than I expected. But is Charlie as well informed?" he asked slyly.

"Again, my business," I said, sticking to Bella's answer because I really had no idea how to answer that question.

The rain began hitting with a harder force than before as his expression softened. "Yes, you're right." He agreed.

"Thanks for the fish fry through, I really appreciate it." I told him gratefully.

"Just think about what you're doing Ashley," he urged.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Despite how nosy it came across as, I could tell from his eyes that he was merely concerned for my safety and for that, I couldn't be angry with him. Billy Black was a nice man and just looking out for other people.

The door banged loudly as a saturated Jacob came back inside. "There's no picture anywhere in that car." He complained.

I smiled, knowing that there had never been a picture. "I guess I left it at home." Billy said.

"Great," Jacob said, rolling his eyes.

"Tell Charlie we stopped by." Billy told me. I nodded.

"Are we leaving already?" Jacob was surprised.

"Charlie's gonna be out late," Billy explained as he rolled his way out past Jacob

"Oh, well, I guess I'll see you around then, Ashley." Jacob looked really disappointed at this.

"You bet," This appeared to brighten him up ever so slightly.

"Take care," Billy called as they drove away.

Over the time it took Charlie to get home, I changed my clothes and began trying to cook one of Charlie's catches in the fish fry. Normally I really dislike fish but on this occasion I was willing to make an exception. I really couldn't be bothered to make more than one meal or anything complex.

A few minutes in, Jessica called to describe the dance to me. I was happy to hear that Mike had picked her up on time and gushed happily that he had kissed her. I couldn't help but feel a little weirded out about this considering only a few minutes earlier he'd been professing his love for me. Oh well, he was taking my advice and that was good. At least that part of the story was on track.

She attempted to ask me whether I'd heard anything from Edward but I had to leave it there with Charlie having arrived home. With a 'see you in trig' we hung up.

"Hey, Charlie," I said as he came in. "Fish all in the freezer?" I asked.

"Yep." He said, sitting down. "What's the smell?" he asked, sniffing the air.

"Oh, Billy and Jacob dropped by. They brought over some of Harry Clearwater's fish fry. I thought, why not get some use out of it right away?"

He looked pleased at this. "He did? That's my favourite."

"What did you do with yourself today?" he asked as I set down the plates of fish and he tucked in.

"I hung out a little here but most of the day I was over at the Cullens'." I told him. No need to keep secrets, he would be meeting Edward very soon anyway.

"Dr. Cullen's place?" he asked in astonishment.

"Yeah, I told you I was friends with Edward." I reminded him.

"What were you doing there?"

Hmmm…time to break the news. "I have a date with Edward tonight and he wanted me to meet his family." Plain and simple.

"You are going out with Edward Cullen?" he thundered. "You told me that you were just friends."

I backtracked. "At the time that you asked, we _were_ just friends." I leaned back in my chair. "Besides, I thought you liked the Cullens."

"He's too old for you." He reasoned. God, if I had to do this with my own dad at some point, I don't think I could take it twice.

"One year, not a big deal." Ahem, yeah, a year, in human years maybe…

"Which one is Edwin?" He said, pausing.

"It's _Edward_, and he's the youngest. You know, the one with the reddish brown hair." I described. No need to add a few other descriptive words, Charlie might have an aneurism.

"Oh well, that's….better, I guess. I don't like the look of that big one. I'm sure he's a nice boy and all, but he looks too…mature for you. Is this Edwin your boyfriend?"

"It's Edward and yes, he is." I said directly.

He lowered his fork, twirling it around in his fingers. "When is he coming over?"

"He'll be here in a few minutes."

"Where is he taking you?" he continued.

"Gosh, Spanish inquisition much? I'm watching his family play baseball." For five minutes at least.

"But you hate sports." He, like Edward, remembered.

I rolled my eyes, "They've promised to spice it up for me."

"You must really like this guy." He observed. It was then that I heard the car pull up out front. Normally Edward wasn't so loud so he must have done it on purpose to let me know he'd arrived.

"I'll do the dishes tonight. For a guest, you act more like housekeeper." He commented as I had begun packing them up.

"Nah, you treat me more like family." I said. It was true. He made me feel like a daughter not some estranged guest.

Charlie stalked off to answer the doorbell when it rang and I realised just how wet it was outside. Okay, where is my trusty raincoat?

When I reached the porch, Edward, as I had expected, looked just like a model. "Come on in, Edward." Charlie told him. I was happy he'd at least remembered his name correctly this time.

"Thanks, Chief Swan," Edward replied, all gentlemanly and respectful.

"Go ahead and call me Charlie. Here, I'll take your jacket."

The pleasantries went on as Charlie told Edward to have a seat and Charlie began the questioning. "So I hear you're getting Ashley to watch baseball."

"Yes, sir, that's the plan." Edward wasn't surprised; he'd obviously been eavesdropping before he'd made me aware he was here.

"Well, more power to you, I guess." They both laughed.

I stood up, interrupting and eager to go. "Okay, let's go." I said walking into the hall and pulling on my raincoat and jacket.

"Not too late, Ash." Charlie warned.

"Don't worry, Charlie, I'll have her back early." Edward promised.

"You take care of her, all right?" I was touched that he cared.

"She'll be safe with me, I promise, sir." Nobody could doubt Edward's sincerity at this moment. Every word rang with it.

We walked out front into the rain. I wasn't surprised to seat Emmett's giant Jeep sitting in the drive or to hear Charlie whistle as he caught sight of it.

"Wear your seat belts," he choked out.

Edward opened the car door for me and helped me up into the car. He walked around to the driver's side quickly and then had to help me with my seat belt because there were so many buckles.

He began to drive. "Emmett's got a great Jeep." I commented, looking around.

Edward laughed. "I'll remember to tell him that." He took a deep breath in. "You smell so good in the rain. Reading about it and actually smelling it is very different." He said.

"Uh huh, well…thanks. I think." I stuttered.

We drove quickly until we had reached the half way point in which Edward would have to run us there. I got out myself, wearing a broad smile. "Running time," I exclaimed happily.

Edward grinned, "I'm happy that you're looking forward to it." He held out a hand before lifting me onto his back and fastening me there again. Then he took off.

I laughed, keeping my eyes open this time. This was something the both of us could enjoy together and I loved the idea. I could hear Edward chuckling below me at my enthusiasm.

After what seemed like seconds, we had reached our destination. He lowered me to the ground slowly and then turned around, looking at me. I leant in slightly but was hurt when he moved away quickly.

"Sorry," he apologized. "You took me by surprise. I wasn't ready for the sudden movement." He told me.

"Don't be sorry,"

He shook his head in dismay, "No, I should be. What I'm doing to you, it's wrong. You say you understand but you don't really know just how much danger you're in by being here with me. My very existence puts you at risk and I hate myself for it. I should be stronger."

"You are strong Edward. You say I don't see myself clearly but really it's you who has no idea what they really are. You're not a monster. You're just a person who met some unlikely circumstances and has tried to make the best of them. Whether you know it or not, you've got one of the kindest hearts I've ever known." I told him sincerely.

"I love you," he said. "But I'm sorry, I can't believe that."

I sighed, "We better get going. I only get five minutes once we hit the pitch." I said.

"Yes, ma'am," He laughed, giving a mock salute.

We walked across the field until we reached the rest of his family who were busily setting up for the game.

"Was that you we heard, Edward?" Esme asked.

"You mean the noise that's sounded like a bear choking?" I clarified before Emmett could. "That was him."

Alice had approached us now, staring at the sky. "It's time." She said as a loud crack of thunder sounded over head in the blue-grey clouds.

"Eerie, isn't it?" Emmett said, winking at me.

"Let's go," Alice grabbed Emmett and headed out across the field, both running gracefully.

Before he joined them, Edward spoke to me. "Five minutes starts now. I'm timing." He teased as he ran.

Making the most of it, I called out, "Go team!"

Esme suggested that we go down closer now in order to referee. I agreed and followed her down, watching her elegant movements.

"You really are like their mum aren't you?" I laughed as she scolded Emmett from across the field.

"Well I do think of them as my children in most ways. I never could get over my mothering instincts."

"Yes, Edward told me that you had a baby." Well, not Edward. More herself via the novel.

Looking out across the way, I could see the two teams formed. "All right," Esme called clearly. "Batter up."

After a second delay Alice swung her body stealthily until she flung her limbs and something I couldn't see went hurdling through the air. Her hand flicked and a ball all of a sudden appeared in Jasper's hand.

"Strike," I said.

Jasper threw the ball back to Alice and she caught it. At a grin, she spun her hand out again and the ball went flying. A deafening crack sounded as Emmett hit the ball with the bat. I watched for the ball but missed it. It was just too damn fast.

"I would say home run but Edward's not in sight so he's clearly gone after it." I noted.

Esme nodded. "Emmett hits the hardest, but Edward runs the fastest."

A moment later, Edward appeared out of the trees, the ball clutched firmly in his hand. He was looking very confident. I was happy that they played so fast, it allowed me to see quite a few things before my time was up.

A few minutes later that was planned, Edward spoke briefly to Emmett before running back towards Esme and I. "Time's up." He said, happy to get me away from here but disappointed that he'd have to miss the rest of the game. Still, there was no fighting him on this. We'd had a deal.

"Edward!" Alice called out, all of a sudden. He face was glazed over and fixed in a look of horror. Oh crap. This did not look good.

Edward froze too, seeing whatever Alice was seeing through reading her mind. "We have to leave now," He said all of sudden, gripping my arm and pulling me.

"No!" Alice yelled. "You saw what would happen,"

Edward shouted angrily back at her, "That I can deal with, her getting caught out here in the middle of an open field with them, I can't."

Carlisle came towards us, looking concerned. "Edward, Alice, what is it?"

"Alice had a vision." Edward said shortly.

"I think we all already guess that one," Emmett said sarcastically.

Alice shook her head in worry, "The vampires I spoke about that would be soon arriving in the area, they're here. If Edward leaves with Ashley now, they'll run into them when they get to the Jeep. If they stay here long enough, the others will arrive here and the same problem will emerge." Alice explained.

"I knew this was a bad idea." Edward snapped. "We're leaving now." He ordered.

"Edward, wait." Carlisle told him calmly. "If we meet the others here, it won't be just you and Ashley. We will all be together. That sounds much more reasonable than you taking Ashley into the middle of the forest alone."

Edward disagreed. "Once I'm there, I can get Ashley in the Jeep and we can drive away from here. If we stay and wait, there'll be no way out. We'll be cornered, numbers or not."

Esme jumped in, "How many are there?" she asked.

"Three," Alice answered.

"_Three_," Emmett scoffed. "Let them come." I watched his muscles flex across his folded arms.

"Hmm…maybe Edward's right." Carlisle mused.

"What?" Alice asked in shock.

He looked at her. "If Edward can get Ashley to the car in time, they can drive away. Here, there is greater distance between an escape if something goes wrong."

Jasper looked confused, "I thought you said they were only curious."

"I thought that they were but from the visions I'm getting now, we don't want them anywhere near Ashley. The last thing we want is for them to start hunting." She explained.

Edward paced back and forth, running his hands through his hair and looking at the ground. "Edward, what do you want to do?" Carlisle asked.

He stopped and looked up. "Alice, can I get to the Jeep?" he asked hardly.

Alice looked annoyed, "They'll find you there, Edward. None of us will be there to help you–" she tried to explain before he cut her off.

When he spoke, each word was like its own sentence there was so much panic and fury in his voice. "Can I get to the Jeep?

*******

Edward ran as fast as he possibly could, me hanging tightly on his back. This run was so very different from the one before. The atmosphere was filled with anxiety, anger and fear. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was only meant to be there for five minutes and everything was going to be fine. Edward and I were going to leave before anything happened. Now, here we were, with him running for my life.

By the time we reached the Jeep, Edward was moving faster than I'd ever seen him before. Everything about him was focused on the sole purpose of getting me out of there. And I wasn't about to complain. James and Victoria were two characters from the Twilight world I was not all so eager to meet.

He threw me into the front seat as carefully and as quickly as he could before rushing to fasten all the buckles. His ears seemed to prick up at sounds that were too low for my human ears to pick up. It was then that I heard a voice from behind him.

One that made my blood run cold.

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**A/N: I did tell you guys it would be a long one. Sorry, I wanted to freeze it at this exact spot and it took a tad bit longer amount of writing than I expected. Hope its okay. As always, I'm sorry for any grammatical errors. And I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to write my next chapter. Remember to review. :)**

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: It's time to meet the sadistic vampires who bring this story to it's heightened climax. What will Edward and Ashley do when they're faced with the three people they most want to avoid? And more importantly, what will happen when Ashley finally finds a way back into her own world in her most dire time of need?**_

_**Next Time…**_


	22. Escape Plans

**Disclaimer: *sigh* Don't own it, wish I did though. Thanks Stephenie Meyer and whoever created lost in Austen. This story would not exist without you.**

**A/N: I know you guys have been eagerly waiting for this chapter, as have I, so I won't blab on. Here you go.**

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"What's this?" it said as Edward spun around.

There in amongst the trees were the three people I least wanted to see, Laurent, James and Victoria.

"We thought we heard others, I'm assuming that you're coming from up north." Laurent assumed, his voice pleasant. They'd clearly smelt our scents and followed them here.

Edward stood rigid and cautious. "Yes, my name is Edward and this is Ashley." He spoke casually, trying to keep it civil unless the situation changed into something else.

"I am Laurent and this is Victoria and James." He gestured to the other two vampires. James was watching me intently. And boy was Victoria's hair red.

Edward released his hands from the harness and altered his body position. He was now shielding me slightly but not completely. My body was still in view of the others but if anyone were to come at me, Edward would stop them in their tracks pretty quickly.

"The rest of my family is up playing baseball in the field ahead, I am sure that they would be happy to have you join them." Edward offered. Good idea Edward, get them away from here. "Although, I should probably warn you about hunting in this area. My family and I keep a permanent residence nearby and suspicious deaths could cause quite a problem for us."

Laurent looked curious, "Permanent residence? That sounds interesting."

"My father will explain when you meet him." Edward said.

"Of course, and we certainly won't encroach on your territory. But as for the game, that sounds enjoyable. Maybe we will drop by." He said. The three of them turned to go on their way. My heart started up again, relief crashing down in waves. At that moment a small gust of wind blew my way, sending hair flying around my face.

As James turned back, I could only think, Oh dear. I am so screwed.

"Okay, if you're thinking about saying 'you brought a snack?' don't." I said, jumping in to Edward's horror. "Ever seen Finding Nemo? I say you should totally follow the shark's mantra. Except it should be 'Humans are friends, not food'." I babbled, before shutting up at the sight of Edward's expression.

James had lowered himself into a crouched position and Edward was poised ready to leap. Both were growling furiously.

"What this? A _human_?" Laurent asked, in disbelief.

"She's with us." Another voice said, as a figure appeared out of the bushes. Alice walked forward, looking passively angry. She was clearly unhappy with Edward for going against her advice but was more focused on the problem at hand. James leaned forward further.

"But she's human." Laurent protested.

Emmett appeared beside Alice, looking menacing. James refused to move from his crouched position back into a standing one but I thought I saw him flinch as he caught sight of Emmett. Edward's upper lip curled back and he uttered a loud snarl, emphasizing Alice's words.

"I _said_ she's with us." Alice pressed.

"Yes," Emmett backed her up strongly.

To my utter relief the other four Cullens appeared rapidly out of the bushes. I could only guess that they'd seen Alice head for the hills out of nowhere and had followed her into the trees.

"It appears we have a lot to learn about each other." Laurent commented, taking in the rest of the family.

"My name is Carlisle," Laurent nodded. "I see that you've met Alice, Emmett, Edward and Ashley. This is Esme, Rosalie and Jasper." Carlisle pointed out each person calmly. Laurent introduced himself again but did not draw more attention to James then already had been by naming him and Victoria.

"If we're going to be discussing these things, I suggest we do it elsewhere. Besides, some of us have places to be." Carlisle looked from Edward to Alice. Taking in Emmett again as well as the rest of the family, James finally straightened up, his eyes looking at Edward in an aggressive and hostile manner. He'd clearly seen that the odds were not in his favour at this point in time. I could practically see the cogs working inside his brain, forming a plan.

Edward moved a little but refused to give more than was necessary.

"We'll show you the way, Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?" Carlisle asked the others and they moved in front of the Jeep, covering Edward and I.

Edward, taking no chances, immediately rushed around the other side of the Jeep and swung into the front seat. He ignored the harness and began starting it up. I looked to either side of me as Alice and Emmett joined us. I sighed, putting a hand on my face. Oh dear. This was really not good, time for the major freak out.

Edward had begun growling orders to the others that I couldn't understand. "Edward," I began, trying to get his attention but everyone ignored me. I really understood Bella's position in this part of the book now but I was determined not to let it end the same way, not that I would have any reason to go to Phoenix whatsoever let alone a ballet studio.

The Jeep moved roughly and quickly through the undergrowth, motions that would have sent me flying if not for the harness. We'd hit the main road and were driving away from Forks. No, no, no! That couldn't happen. I couldn't be away from Forks. If I left Forks, how in the hell would I ever get home? I needed Bella's bedroom door for that!

"Edward, no! We can't leave Forks. That's not the way it's supposed to go. Turn around!" I yelled.

Edward ignored me and continued driving. "Listen to me! Take me back to the Swan's. I need to go back there! It'll work, you know it will."

He snapped his head around, looking panicked and furious. "This isn't a story, Ashley. This is real life. We need to take you away from here – far away – now."

"No! You can't do this. Edward, please. Trust me. Go back to the Swan's! Charlie's not there, we can work something out. We can change cars to confuse James and then you can do whatever you want. Just, I need to go back there! Please…" I begged, thrashing around in the harness.

Edward looked torn, as if he didn't know what to do. He wanted to trust me, but he was also stubborn and believed he was right in this situation. I knew better. I had to try and get the stupid door open. I had to leave here, even if it meant leaving Edward. I didn't even want to _think_ about leaving Edward.

"Emmett," Edward ordered. Emmett raised his hands to restrain me but stopped at a comment from Alice.

"Edward, pull over." She said, her voice like steel. He shot her a dark look and sped up, the engine revving.

"Edward let's just talk this through."

He shook his head, "Alice, you know how this will end. He's a tracker. Did you _see _that? He'll find a way to get to her and she'll end up broken on a ballet studio floor. I can't let that happen. I _won't_." He said angrily but somehow desperation had begun to show through in his voice.

"It won't happen that way. We have the extra knowledge, he doesn't. Ashley would have no reason to go to Phoenix. There is no way he can find her." Alice assured him. "Now, pull over." She repeated with new authority.

"Listen to me, Alice. I saw his mind. Tracking is his passion, his obsession – and he wants her Alice – her, specifically. He begins the hunt tonight." I knew these words so well. I'd just never thought that they'd ever have any relation to me. "I know what will happen." He said. "I can't make the mistake of knowing and ignoring it again. She should never have been there. Not even for five minutes." He shook his head in self loathing.

The speedometer had begun to slow; she was cracking him a little. Come on Alice. "Let's just look at our options for a minute," Alice coaxed.

"There are no other options," Edward hissed, the car flying forward again.

"Yes, there are. Her idea Edward, about changing the cars, changing the scent completely, it'll work, I've seen it. There _is _another option."

"I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but the car swap and meeting him there sounds like a good plan. We have to take her back." Emmett spoke up. "He's no match for us, Edward. He won't be able to touch her."

"He'll wait."

Emmett grinned in longing, "I can wait too."

Jumping at the opportunity to make my voice heard, I spoke up. "Edward, you've trusted me before and it's worked out fine. Believe me now, I know this will work. We have to do this. Take me back, we'll figure something out." I said softly. He turned back, watching my face.

"Just like it worked out tonight," he said bitterly but I knew it wasn't me he blamed. He blamed himself even though it wasn't his fault.

"Edward, _trust_ me. You guys beat him in the end. I know it'll be fine." I reassured him. "I just need to try and get back through the door." I added on.

His brows furrowed in fury. "So this is what going back is about? You want to try and get _home_?" he seemed angry.

"I can do it Edward, it'll work. It's worked before, it'll work again."

Emmett looked confused, "Door? What door?"

"Trust me," I said again.

Edward faulted and then sighed. "Fine, you get fifteen minutes. That includes packing time and trying to get through the door. If it doesn't work after that time, we're leaving. No complaints." He said firmly.

"Fine, you can take me anywhere. Just let me try. That's all I want."

Edward turned around and sped up again, heading back to Forks. "If the tracker is there, we turn around."

Alice looked optimistic, as she should be, "We're going to make it there before him, but what are we going to do with the Jeep?"

Edward's voice regained its hard edge, "You're driving it home."

"No, I'm not." She disagreed.

Edward began using a number of different profanities under his breath again at this. "Alice, you can take a few bits of Bella's well, my clothes and drive with them. Maybe it'll lead James your way. By the time he realises, we'll be on our way to your place." I explained.

Emmett grinned, "Sounds good,"

"You can stick around Emmett. I don't think he likes you very much. And personally, I'd like having you close by." I admitted. Emmett liked the sound of this idea.

"How did you get Charlie out of the house?" Emmett asked all of sudden.

I felt guilty, like I'd done something wrong, "I rang Billy before he came home, as awkward as it was after our conversation earlier, and asked him if he could invite him down to dinner. I said he needed some social time. He's been working a lot lately."

Edward wasn't focused on the how; he was focused on the why. "Why did you want him to leave?" he asked coolly.

I looked down, "Just in case," I said quietly.

We drove until we reached the house. The porch light was on for me as well as the living room light. Charlie being a cop knew not to leave a house dark at night while you were away, people would know you were out and rob you. Not that it would happen much in a place like Forks.

Pulling over, Edward looked at the pair of them, "We'll see you soon." He turned to me, "Ashley, fifteen minutes starts now."

Emmett helped me out of my harness and opened the door to allow me to bolt up to the house. It took me a while to get the key in the lock and work because my hands were trembling so much. By the time I had opened the door and gone upstairs, Edward was already there, stuffing clothes into a duffle bag.

I shut the bedroom door and turned to it.

Time to give this a go, I thought to myself. "Okay, Bella. If you're there, I really need you to do this for me. I'm about to be tracked by a sadistic vampire and accept your fate for you. Can't you do this one favour for me? Let me come home?" Taking a deep breath, I reached out and gripped the door knob.

Slowly I turned it and swung it open in front of me.

I opened my eyes in hope and found myself faced with Bella's corridor. Oh damn, and now I had…five minutes according to my watch.

"Ashley, two minutes and we're going down to the truck." Edward warned. What? He was cutting me short? Ugh! Now what?

I turned around to the door and shut again, panicking. "Come on, come on. Bella, please, I really need this. All you have to do is let me in or open the door for me." The door remained closed so I reached out and took the handle again. Twisting it open, I found myself staring at the corridor again. Oh god, why? Why me?

"Ashley, we're leaving." Edward told me. "Meet me at the truck." Then he was gone. Feeling defeated, I made my way downstairs through the rest of the house and then out the front again. Edward had the truck already running and the sound of the engine was loud. Alice had already been given the clothes with my scent and had gone before I'd even come back outside. Eager not to waste any precious moments before James realised what was going on, I ran down the drive and hopped into the passenger's seat.

"I hope for your sake that this runs properly." Edward said, pulling out and driving down the road. He was pushing the engine as fast as it would go to try and make it to the Cullen's place as quickly as he could. It was about three streets away from the school that he froze in horror.

"What? Edward, what is it?" I asked, worried.

His voice was hollow and filled with dread when he spoke. "The tracker, James, he figured it out earlier than you expected. He's on our tail right now and he's catching up. I can't push the engine any more than I already am."

My face set in an expression of fear as he looked at me. "Ashley, I need you to take the wheel, can you do that? I need to get out the back so I can prevent him from grabbing on to the truck."

I looked at him in panic. "_What?!_" I exclaimed. "Edward, I can't drive, let alone manage a manual fifties truck! I can't do this, it's all my fault, I can't-" I began to blabber in panic, my brain crazy with anxiety. Edward raised a hand off the wheel and cupped one side of my face with it.

"Ashley, look at me." He said as calmly as possible. I looked up, breathing heavily. "You can do this. I know you can." I looked away, muttering a 'no, I can't' sound.

"No!" He roared, "Don't you dare give up! I will not let him hurt you. But I need you to help me. I know you can do it. Before, you asked me to trust you and I did. Now I need you to trust me. " He said, looking me deep in the eyes.

It was that look he gave me. The one he gave when he thought I could do anything, the one that made me feel like he saw me as ten times the person I actually was and more importantly, the one that made me feel like I could actually be that person. With a passionate kiss and without so much as moving the truck from the centre of the road, he moved me into the driver's position and himself onto the passenger's seat. "Good," he said. "Now keep your feet on the peddles and use the steering wheel. You'll be fine." There was not a bit of doubt in his voice, and that gave me power.

"That's good," he said, watching me. "Okay, I'll be back soon. But if something happens, you just keep driving okay. Head for my place, the others will protect you."

With a last longing look in my eyes, he swung himself out of the car and I felt him land in the back. I kept my eyes on the road, turning and twisting around the streets. I was actually doing okay. I just had to focus and hope I didn't have to change gears any time soon.

And then I heard it, a loud crack and the truck jolted. My head turned around, looking for Edward through the back glass and seeing nothing. Panic bubbled up inside me again. Where was he? Oh god, no. My mind was sent reeling as I tried to control myself and my footing. I looked back again and was thrown upwards in the seat as a heavy mass was added onto the back of the truck. My eyes widened in horror as I caught sight of James standing on the back. He eyes were dark and determined, a wicked and triumphant smile contorting his features. Filled with fear and unable to concentrate, it was then that I lost control. Scrambling about, I tried to regain control of the car and get my feet back in the right position. I failed. Before I could even cover my face with my hands, Bella's old red truck drove headfirst into a nearby tree.

I was thrown backwards as the mess of metal was thrown into the tree and fell to its side. I could hear noises, smell gas and blood but my vision was slightly blurred. Oh god, where am I? What have I done?

"Edward," I coughed out in a whisper, searching for him. He was the only thing now that could stop me from death by vampire. "Edward!" I called louder, this time a sob to the word. I crawled out of the truck which had landed on its side. I could feel a few cuts and bruises but I doubted there were any broken bones. I tried to avoid the broken glass but it was just everywhere, surrounding me.

I coughed, spitting out some blood from where my teeth had bitten into my lip. The grass was wet under my palms and the blood created a pattern on the green between them both.

Suddenly, my wrist was wrenched upwards. A cold hand wrapped it's fingers around my wrist and pulled me lightly. I cried out, and threw out my arms before the person spoke. "Ashley, it's me." Edward said, pulling me along more forcefully but not enough to hurt me. "We have to go now," He lifted me up into his arms swiftly, cradling me against his chest. Then he began to run at a flying speed. From the brief flashes of scenery, I could just make out where we were, Forks High School Grounds.

He stopped, listening for the other vampire I knew could only be close by. "Are you okay?" he whispered. I nodded as he changed direction in reaction to a sound or a thought. He smashed through one of the glass parts of the doors on a block I couldn't identify in the dark and dizziness still surrounding me from the crash.

He took off down the corridor when all of a sudden I heard a yell. Edward's arms fell out from under me and I cried out as I hit the floor. Quickly getting to my feet, I spun around to face the corridor behind me. Moonlight shone through into the hallway through the open doors, reflecting off glass trophy cases and the linoleum floor. The school that I'd once thought was safe and even boring had now become something very different from what I knew. The night had changed everything and I no longer felt so safe.

More sounds of shattering glass echoed down the hallway as James had threw Edward violently into one of the glass display, sending chips scattering across the floor. I reminded myself to be careful where I stepped.

James began to approach me when Edward blindingly leapt to his feet and threw himself into him, sending them both sprawling. Both were snarling and growling furiously, the sounds intensified in the silence.

"Ashley, run!" Edward yelled as he threw a blow at James. I tried, but I was frozen by fear. Fear for Edward, and fear for what should happen to me if he failed.

My eyes flashed to the open doors as the light was covered by a dark shape. "Edward!" Alice's familiar voice yelled through the corridor. With a look at her, her determination, her worry, I snapped out of it. My feet took off towards the end of the corridor and I reached out for the door handle. Taking it firmly in my grasp, I just hoped that it would somehow be unlocked. It was. Feeling relieved, I swung it open and leapt forward, without thinking, through.

After what seemed like hours, at last, I found myself land in somewhere a little unexpected.

I was laying face first on the carpet of one of my very own High School corridors.

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**A/N: So there you guys go. Don't panic. I've only just begun with the dramatic climax of the story. There's more to come. I just decided that it was time to take it to a whole new level. :)**

**Sorry if the writing is a little strained, clipped and off this time round. I wanted this chapter to be good but this was the best I could do for the moment. One more exam and I'm finished. Then I can get back to things I love to do, like this. Remember to review. And now, back to my chemistry notes. *sigh***

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: It's Ashley's birthday, and how is she spending it? Trying to avoid being killed by a sadistic fictional vampire who no longer seems so fictional. But with things now on her own turf and a little help from both her fictional and not so fictional friends, will she be able to save those close to her? And more difficult yet, save herself?**_


	23. Chase

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer and the creator of Lost in Austen are the ideas behind this story.**

**A/N: ****Okay everyone, time to seriously chill out. Many of you were having heart attacks about the fact that I sent her back to her world. My goodness, do you really think that I'm that uncreative to leave Edward fighting James and Ashley just randomly ends up back at her own school, right as rain, goes back to her own life? I don't think so. I'm going to seriously change things from here on, you may like it or you may hate it. So, I'll do my best to make you feel the former. Anyway, onward with the next chapter. Just so you know, warning: it's a short one. **

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I dug my nails heavily into the carpet as if trying to ascertain whether I was dreaming or not. Instead of darkness and night, here it was the middle of the day. Also, things sounded a lot louder and more populated than the silent and isolated Forks High School corridor I'd come from. Weak sunlight streamed across my face through the right wall of full length windows and I could smell the bathrooms a few meters ahead. My nose crinkled as I pushed myself to my feet.

At a loud growl and an even louder smash, I returned my attention to the door behind me. Instead of the small space which leads to the gym, I found myself standing in front of the open door which was still connected to the Fork's hallway. Alice was watching me through the door while wearing a look of horror. It hit me then that this was most likely the door Alice kept seeing in her visions. No wonder she couldn't see anything in my future beyond a door, my world was completely different to hers or in better terms, way, _way_ out of range.

James kicked Edward off of him. He shook his limbs confidently and spun around to face me. A small tapping noise on the glass to my left diverted my gaze from the homicidal vampire about to head straight for me. Knocking on the glass window was my friend, Sarah.

Sarah has a Pakistani background, wide eyes, enjoys wearing headbands with bows on them and is at times a bigger Twilight fanatic than _I_ am. It's because of her bouncy personality and love of Twilight that she likes the nickname, Alice.

At this point in time she was giving me a look of utter confusion. I looked myself over and realised how bad my appearance must be, let alone the fact that I hadn't been at school for sometime and who knows how Bella had chosen to explain that one to everyone.

My facial features were in too much shock to form a smile or anything for that matter. She made a gesture to say she was coming around to join me before running off and disappearing out of view. Who knew how she was going to feel about this whole thing.

I looked back through the open door, watching James who was about to make a dive for me. Alice leaped forward, grabbing onto him and biting down deeply into his arm. He howled loudly before throwing her off, sending her in my direction.

She landed on the carpet at my feet a moment later but there was something wrong. Her skin was no longer dead pale; it was a _sick_ pale. She wasn't moving at all and her lips looked dry and cracked. For the first time I'd ever seen her, she looked weak and helpless.

Looking up again, I found that Edward had taken advantage of Alice's attack and had thrown himself into James's legs. The both of them went crashing through the air. As quickly as I could, I pulled Alice by her arms and moved her away from the door opening. A second later both Edward and James flew through the door, landing flat on the carpet a few meters ahead of us.

"Ashley? What's going on?" Past Edward and James, both unmoving, Sarah was standing at the end of the corridor. She couldn't seem to believe her eyes.

Taking charge of the situation, I ran towards Edward and rolled him over on his back. He was passed out and looked as bad as Alice. I didn't even want to touch James. It was Edward and Alice that I was worried about. "Alice, grab Alice. Wait, I mean Alice grab Sarah." Feeling tongue tied, I started again. "Dammit, I mean, Sarah help Alice." I began trying to lift Edward up.

"_What_?" Sarah said, looking down at the three people on the ground in shock. "Alice? What are you talking about?" she asked. Oh god, I don't have time to explain this. James had begun to stir, making groaning sounds of pain.

"Sarah, meet Edward and Alice Cullen, now help me. _Please,_" The last word was pleaded in desperation. Sarah, being the amazing friend she was, didn't ask anymore questions. She simply ran over to Alice and began helping her to her feet.

Alice was awake but I could see that she was very weak. What in the world was going on here? Vampires never acted like this.

"I'm fine, help Edward." Alice whispered feebly.

I shook my head, "Alice, I don't know what's going on but there is no way you're getting out of here like that without any help. Sarah," I gestured to her as I continued trying to lift Edward. Finally, I had him lifted properly. Unlike the other two, he was still completely out of it but he definitely looked worse than the others.

James had begun trying to get to his feet and I wasn't about to wait for that to happen. Putting as much force into it as I could, I walked with my body under Edward's arm, lifting him that way seemed to be the only way possible.

Oh god, please let us get out of this, I thought silently.

People stared in shock as Sarah, Alice, Edward and I passed. I ignored them. None of it mattered anyway. The only thing that did was getting Edward and Alice away from there.

A look behind me showed that James had finally stood up. He looked sickly but not as bad as the other two. He started following us, his expression twisted into that of a cross between fury and pain.

How was he so much better off than they were? More importantly, why were any of them like this in the first place? What the hell was going on here?

I kept going, moving up the stairs as fast as I could under Edward's weight. Then I heard a voice. It was so small and lifeless that I almost missed it. "Ashley,"

I looked around, trying to find the source. "Ashley, what's going on?" It asked. I looked up, seeing that Edward's eyes had half opened.

"Oh, Edward, oh my god, you're awake." The relief was out of the way quickly, then came the panic and the adrenaline. "I don't know what's going on. I just need to get you away from James." I explained, breathing heavily.

He groaned, as I almost tripped up the stairs. Behind me, Alice and Sarah seemed to be going okay. Alice was able to support most of her own weight but appeared as though she could throw up any moment.

Around me, I could hear people calling my name, people whispering and wondering. I blocked them all out.

"It's so quiet." Edward mumbled as though in a dreamlike state. "It's too quiet."

Quiet? What was he talking about? He must have been out of it because the room was anything but quiet, but I had to ignore that. I had to focus.

"It's too quiet," He repeated again as he fell limp and slid slightly off me. Grabbing him before he could fall, I held his chest to my face, struggling. No, I have to do this. I have to. He'd always protected me and protected Bella. It was my turn to look after him. And I would do it even if it killed me.

It was there as I was holding him to me at the top of that large circular staircase that several things became apparent to me at once. Through his shirt, I could feel warmth. It wasn't the ice cold, granite Edward normally felt like.

Second, his chest was slowly heaving in and out, taking in air.

And lastly, and possibly the most shocking of all, with my ear against his ribs, I could hear a sound. The thudding of a drum. A heart beat.

Oh my god, you have got to be kidding me. It couldn't be possible. Well, about as possible as a double dimensional door and fictional Twilight characters coming to life.

"Ashley!" Another voice called out from my right. I glanced to the side to see none other than Bella Swan running towards me.

"What's going on?" she said as she took in Edward, "Is that _Edward Cullen_?" She asked in shock. Clearly Bella had been doing some reading of my bookcase while I'd been away.

I couldn't help but feel annoyed at this point in time, "Stop asking questions and help me." I snapped, almost collapsing under Edward. She looked past me at Alice.

"Alice too? What have you done?"

I sighed, slumping. "Bella…" I moaned.

She looked past the other pair and I watched her eyes bulge as James came into view. Not waiting for another stupid comment, I yelled at her. "Bella! Help, now!"

"Okay, okay, helping." She said, moving around to the other side of Edward and sharing the weight. I breathed out and pushed forward with Bella's help.

"Where are we going?" Bella called out, sounding strained.

I looked around outside in the courtyard, my eyes darting between cars parked in the student car park. "How'd you get to school this morning?" I asked.

"I borrowed your dad's car. He's in the city today." She answered.

I smiled in relief. At least we had one thing going for us. Catching sight of the familiar red car, I began heading towards it. It was likely to assume that the others would follow us.

Bella pulled out the keys and pressed the unlock button before we reached it. The car lights flashed as we crossed the asphalt. Finally we reached it and leant Edward against the side of the vehicle.

"What now?" Sarah asked, out of breath.

"Do you really want to truant class?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She gave me a look, "Class or spend some time with real life Twilight characters? Hmmm...that's a hard decision, I think I choose Twilight characters." She said sarcastically.

My mouth opened, "You believe me?" I said in surprise. "I mean, you don't think I'm a nutcase?"

She shook her head, "Ashley, I've had Bella Swan in my biology class for the last few weeks. What do you think?"

At this, Bella and I began putting Edward in the backseat. He groaned as we propped him upright, still unconscious.

Alice moved herself into the other passenger's seat, Sarah climbing in over Edward. "Well, this is awkward." She commented, as she moved over Edward's form.

I hopped in to the front passenger's side as Bella joined me, sitting in the driver's side.

"Where to?" Bella asked, worn out. She looked up, glancing in the review mirror. "Holy Crow!" she exclaimed.

"What?" I yelled, turning around in my seat. James had made it outside and was heading towards the car as quickly as he could. No matter how bad he was feeling, he really was persistent about this.

"Anywhere Bella. Take us anywhere but here!" I cried as she stepped her foot on the pedal, sending the car forward and out the exit, leaving James behind us.

It was only as we were crossing the intersection that any of us spoke.

Sarah looked around, a bright smile on her face. She clapped her hands together as she said, "This is so _awesome_!"

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**A/N: Sorry it's so short but I have to think some things through from here on. Hopefully this will do for now. My exams are all done! Horary, so I can write whenever I want. Anyway, like I said, things are going to severely change from this chapter and onward. Remember to review and let me know what you think of what's happened in this brief but very important chapter.**

_**Next Time on Living In Meyer: Ashley has a few out of this world visitors to stay but with Edward looking worse as time**__** passes, James hot on their trails with a score to settle and Ashley running out of time and options, what will she do?**_


	24. Homecoming

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer and the creator of Lost in Austen are the ideas behind this story.**

**A/N: Here's the next one. Sorry for such a long wait and gramma errors. Writer's block really sucks. Anyway, no more talk. Here it is.**

* * *

As much as tried to resist it, and to force myself to sit still, I couldn't resist fidgeting in my seat. Bella shot me a few looks of annoyance as she drove but remembering that she'd been living my life for the last few months, she refrained from shouting at me to quit it. Looking behind me into the back seat, Alice was sitting quietly as she stared out the window. She looked exhausted but wasn't one to complain about this sort of thing.

Edward was lying on the seat, looking dreadful. It was worrying to see him looking so ill and worn out. Sarah, on the other hand, was practically bouncing out of her seat and….oh, no she _wasn't_….

"Sarah, are you poking Edward?" I asked in horror.

Sarah smiled, as her fingers prodded Edward in the shoulder. Oh my god, she _was._ Sarah was poking my boyfriend. "Sarah, refrain from poking Edward!" I cried, reaching back to slap her hand away.

She looked back sheepishly. "Sorry," she said. "Just checking,"

Checking? _What_? That he wasn't a mirage?

I rolled my eyes and turned away. The last thing Edward needed in his condition was a teenage fan girl poking him in the arm to check if he was real. Staring out onto the road, I realised where Bella was driving us. She was taking me home. My real home.

To poor Alice's dismay, Sarah then turned her attention to her. The words began firing out so quickly, I felt the urge to duck. Oh well, Alice was Sarah's idol. I may as well let her have her fun. I just hoped that Alice wouldn't fall asleep after being worn out any more than she already was.

At the sight of my house appearing on the corner of the street as we drove, my heart leapt and a smile spread across my face. Sure it was cold, it was winter, but that didn't change how nice it was to see home.

My mum's car wasn't in the drive, suggesting she was working today. Normally she only did one to two days a week, depending on what was on.

Bella parked in the driveway and got out to help me move Edward inside. Alice declined Sarah's offer for support and walked quickly up to the front door. Vampire or not, she still looked like a petite dancer as she moved but the level of grace had decreased ever so slightly.

"Okay, on three." I began. "One…two…three…" At three Bella and I lifted Edward's arms over our shoulders and walked steadily towards the porch. That is, until we hit the step and both nearly tripped over it in unison. Sarah laughed as we both shot her a dirty look. Bella awkwardly passed Sarah the keys and she opened the front door. I had been about to shout out a reminder about the alarm but stopped when no loud high pitched sound filled the air.

We carried Edward over to the living room couch and lay him down as gently as we could without straining ourselves. Bella groaned a sigh of relief as we let him go. I joined in, stretching my muscles upward.

Once I could feel my arms again, I leant over and placed a hand to Edward's forehead. He felt feverish but clammy at the same time. His lips were cracked and dry, while his skin was the wrong colour for anyone alive. It was pale alright but there was something off about it.

"I'll be in the kitchen," Bella said.

"Can you get him some water please?" I asked.

She gave me an odd look as if to say, but vampires don't drink water. With a shrug of her shoulders, she left the room for the kitchen.

He looked so weak and I could hardly bare it. This wasn't the Edward I knew. Even in the dreams I'd had where he'd somehow become human again, it had never been like this. He'd never looked as if he were about to die.

Oh god, what can I do? I thought in panic.

Bella returned, setting the glass of water down on the coffee table I was sitting on. I thanked her before raising the glass to Edward's lips to let him drink. He stirred a little as the moisture touched him, but his eyes remained shut. I set the glass back down before adjusting the cushions behind his head. Seeing nothing I could do, I thought of the only thing I could do to distract myself, shower.

I dragged myself upstairs and stripped down, shoving myself under the hot water and shivering as I realised just how cold my skin had been. Despite the red spots spreading across my skin in giant blotches, I stood silently. It was peaceful watching the steam fog up the two walls of glass around me.

Once I'd gotten out, I blow dried my hair – something I didn't usually do – and then straightened it. Even though I hadn't straightened it, my fringe was starting to really bug me. It was in need of another trim and was sticking in my eyes at odd angles.

I retreated into my room, taking in my familiar surroundings and making a sigh of pleasure at the sight of it. It was too bad that I could not yet relax and enjoy my homecoming.

In my wardrobe I had a choice, for the first time in months, of my very own, properly fitting clothes. I pulled on my comfortable stretchy track pants and a loose, long sleeve shirt. Over the top I tugged on a plaid short-sleeve and then a jacket.

Looking in the mirror, I found myself face to face with someone more like myself again. My clothes, my room, me. A necklace I'd received from my parents a few years ago and had gotten into a habit of wearing often topped it off.

Seeing nothing more to do that would be effective in calming myself down, I headed back downstairs to join the others. Bella was standing in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water and absentmindedly tapping her fingers on the kitchen counter table top. Sarah was perched on the edge of the couch staring blankly at the television while Alice was lying on the couch with her eyes closed, clearly taking a rest. It was something she clearly hadn't done in a while by her body position.

Neither of them spoke as I walked around the wall and back into the living room to check on Edward. He was still unmoved, breathing in and out unevenly.

I sat myself down on the coffee table again beside him, watching patiently. I attempted to give him some more water and was shocked when all of a sudden I saw his eye lids flutter. They flicked open and he looked up at me.

"Hey," I said softly, slightly caught off guard.

He lifted a hand feebly and put it on top of the glass, pushing it away so he could speak. "Hey," he croaked. His eyes looked me over, taking me in and he raised an eyebrow. "You look different." He commented. I nodded.

Seeing him awake and so ill, finally it cracked me. Tears began to form and I could stop them from falling down my face. I held my hands over my face, not wanting him to see me look so defeated when he needed me to be strong. If I wasn't strong, how could I possibly take care of him?

"Don't cry." He said, giving me a weak smile as I removed my hands. "See? I'm fine." He lifted his hand to my face and wiped away the tears.

"No, you're not. And I have no idea what to do. Edward, you're human. I don't know how it's possible but you are. Now, you're sick and there's nothing I can do." I stressed, panic showing in every word I said.

He features became confused. "Human? But…" he trailed off as though listening for something.

"Here," I took his fingers in mine and lifted them to his chest, placing them on the skin just above his heart. We both sat quietly, feeling the beats of his heart beneath his chest. It was something it hadn't done for nearly a century.

After a moment of quiet he closed his eyes and swallowed as though in pain. I crumpled, "Edward, I need to take you to a hospital."

I had expected him to be stubborn and tell me no but instead he surprised me by agreeing with me. "I think that would be best. As far as I can tell it's just dehydration but then again, I haven't been human in such a long time."

I raised an eyebrow, "Edward, you've got three medical degrees and you can't diagnose dehydration positively?"

He gave me a look, "It's been a while since I was last human Ashley, give me some credit for knowing what I feel like at all."

Before I could help it, I was laughing. It was something I did during awkward, stressful or sad moments. It's a weird reaction, I'll admit, but it wasn't something I could help. During the only funeral I'd ever been at, I had to resist laughing out loud. The very idea would have been absolutely horrible. It would have offended my family and everyone else in the room. So at least I was lucky enough to hold it in. Then again, it wasn't as if I actually found the thing itself funny. It was just some weird brain reaction I had.

I covered my mouth and looked down, "I'm so sorry, it's just…a reaction." I felt disgusted with myself.

"I'm not offended." He said, the corners of his lips twitching up. "It's quite ironic, if I do say so myself."

Seeing my level of worry still bubbling beneath the surface, he sat himself up slowly as I took a deep breath. He reached out and pulled me towards him, resting his forehead against mine. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." He reassured me.

I broke away softly, standing up. "Bella," I called out. "I need get Edward to a hospital. We better bring Alice along too."

"Oh!" I heard Sarah exclaim. "I'm coming too!"

I put a hand to my forehead and laughed, it sounded so bubbly and hilarious in the current situation.

"Ashley," Edward reattained my attention. I looked back towards him. "Where's James?" he asked seriously.

I shook my head, "I have no idea. He disappeared when we drove off." This was the moment that Edward's strength failed him again and he faltered. I watched him fall back against the cushions, as his eyes rolled back inside his head.

"Edward!" I cried, rushing towards him in a blind panic. Bella rushed into the room at the sound of my voice.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know, he thinks it's severe dehydration." I burbled.

She looked from Edward to me before speaking, "We better get him to a hospital now." She said, taking charge.

Together we helped return him to the car and sat him up in the backseat. Alice was looking a little bit worse for wear and Sarah…well, Sarah looked excited with the drama of it all. At least one of us was enjoying things.

I helped Bella manoeuvre her way through the streets until we reached Rockdale and St. George Hospital. I'd done work experience at the Private hospital down the street for a week when I was in year ten. Luckily enough, I remembered my way there well enough.

We pulled up out front, Bella not paying attention to the 'No Parking' signs. Then again, this was urgent. The pair of us lifted Edward out and began carrying him in through the front.

"Can I help you?" I heard someone ask from a distance. It was the words I most wanted to hear in this world full of confusion. Help was something I desperately needed right now.

Over the next few hours, the Cullen siblings were examined and placed in separate rooms. The hospital room Edward has been placed in was small with a window looking out onto a patch of grey, rain filled sky. Just like the situation, the weather was just plain depressing.

"Hey," Bella said, coming in with a cup of hot chocolate. She handed it to me, a grateful smile on my face. "How's he doing?"

The moment the doctors had got a look at Alice and Edward, they had given a simple diagnosis. It was simple but simple or not, both of their bodies were under extreme strain. Edward was dehydrated in the extreme and suffering from severe starvation. Alice was a little of the same but not starving. The only weird reason I could come up with to explain this was that Alice had eaten more recently that Edward had before entering my world. Maybe that had had some sort of effect on their bodies once they'd come through. Another thing to think about was that Edward was older than Alice but then again, I believed that James was even older than Edward and he had seemed to be nowhere near the condition that Edward was. It was possible that that side of things came down to diet. Edward had always said that feeding off human blood kept you stronger but animal blood was enough to get by on.

Now I was sitting, watching Edward lie motionlessly in bed as nutrients and liquids were pumped directly into his body via drips and needles. If I'd thought he'd looked bad before, than this image of him was even worse. The one thing I had seen as unbreakable, as strong had become something so vulnerable. Something I couldn't even manage to protect.

Sure, I'd gotten him away from James and to the hospital in time but still; I couldn't help but blame myself. This wasn't where he was supposed to be. He was meant to be back in Forks. Fictional Forks. A place where he couldn't be harmed. The only reason he was here in the first place was because of me.

The doctors had informed us that he would start to show some improvement in a couple of hours. At least both he and Alice had lost that greenish tinge to their skin. The only thing to do now was to sit and wait.

"He's looking a little better but still not…right." I said honestly.

Here we were, Bella and I, for the first time since the whole swap thing we were actually having a proper conversation.

"I'm sorry," she said out of the blue. I looked up, confused. "For closing the door. The whole thing was just so completely unbelievable that what actually happened didn't even cross my mind as a possibility. I was just upset and anxious. It was the first thing that popped into my mind at the time."

I looked down, "Don't apologize. You couldn't have known. Plus, if you hadn't, I never would have got to experience what your world was like. It's something I've always wanted to be a part of ever since I first read the books." She nodded in understanding. "I'm guessing that you've been doing some reading since I've been away." I stated.

She didn't deny it. "Yes. If you were me, wouldn't you have done the same thing?"

I thought for a moment, if I had been her… "I'm not sure. What did you think?" I really was curious as to what Bella thought of her very own story.

"Personally, I think it makes a great story but I wouldn't want to live it. I'll admit that until you and the others came through that door, I didn't even believe in vampires. I mean, how could I? They've never existed before now, in both your world _and_ mine."

I smiled, "I can understand why you'd feel that way. But why wouldn't you want to live it?"

She looked away, painfully. "You've read them, haven't you noticed how much pain and sadness the main character goes through? Every chapter she's lost in confusion and struggling to make a decision or to get through a day safely. It's…I don't know."

My face fell, shocked. Painful? _Painful_?

"Bella, that character is you-" I started.

She cut me off angrily, "No, it's not me. I'm me and I've never done anything like what this person has. This Stephenie Meyer person may have wanted this life for me but I don't. I never have and I never will." She snapped stubbornly.

I leant back, trying to understand the mix of emotions I was feeling at these words. "Bella, how can you say that? Indecision, pain, sadness…? Of course there are those things but everyone has to get through them. They're a part of life. Without them, you'd never get to experience the good things. What about the good things Bella? Jacob, Edward, the Cullens, love, adventure, happiness, huh? What about them?" I argued.

"No, that's not what I want. You might want that Ashley, but it's not me. I've seen all those books that you have at home. Vampires, werewolves, magic, they might be your thing. But they aren't mine!" she protested, loudly.

I stood up, stepping back. "I can't believe I'm hearing this." I shook my head in dismay, staring at her. "What does this mean? That you're not going back? That you won't live your life the way it was supposed to be lived? You can't do that Bella. You _can't._"

Her faced creased in anger, "How it was supposed to be lived? What, according to some woman I've never even met before? I don't think so. I have a choice in what happens with my life."

I turned away, staring back out the window. I couldn't believe that this was happening. How could it be? This wasn't right. She was supposed to be in Forks. Edward was supposed to be healthy. And I was supposed to be living my boring life, reading about them doing these things. Now, here I was, hearing all this.

Her voice rang out again, quieter this time. "I'm not saying that I won't go back. I will, when I get the next opportunity. I have to finish up school. I have to be there for my parents."

I spun around. "That's good. Thank you."

"But I won't stay in Forks. The moment my mom and Phil buy that house in Jacksonville, I'm out of there. I won't stay there in that miserable place for a fate that I don't want."

Her tone of voice was final. There was no arguing with her about this and I knew that as much as I hated what her choice was, it _was_ her choice. Her future was her decision, even though I knew she was making the wrong one.

"Okay," I sighed. "If that's what you want."

The following hours, we sat. Sarah stayed with Alice, me with Edward and Bella alternating rooms every so often. Finally, I found myself drifting off in my seat when Sarah tapped me on the shoulder.

"Ash, when was the last time you slept?" she asked in concern. I thought for a moment before shrugging. Who knew? There was a bit of a time difference between worlds and I'd been at the hospital for a while now. My parents probably weren't home yet but would be in about an hour or so.

"Why don't you go home for a while and get some sleep?" she suggested. I glanced over at Edward protectively. She followed my eyes. "Don't worry, Bella and I will make sure he's okay."

I nodded, noticing Alice in the doorway. She was up and about at least but there was still a drip in her arm. She gave me a reassuring smile before heading in to join her brother. "I'll drive you," Bella offered.

As I was leaving the room, Sarah's voice called me back.

"Hmm?"

She shot me a grin, "Happy Birthday Ashley Bashley."

** **** **

Bella dropped me off at my place before turning around to drive back and join Sarah at the hospital. She was worried about what Sarah would do if left alone with two of her favourite fictional characters for too long. I wasn't about to argue with her.

I began walking up the drive and was standing in the foyer when a small vibrating noise came from my pocket. I felt around before pulling out my mobile.

Normally I was absolutely horrible about having my phone battery charged but picking it up was another completely different issue. Nobody bothered to ring my mobile anymore, well anyone who knew me at least.

I swung open the receiver and placed it to my ear.

"Ashley?" A static voice filled the line.

"Hello? Who's this?" I asked, struggling to hear.

"It's Alice," the voice said loudly but simply made the line break up even more.

I was surprised at this, "Alice? What is it?" I was worried. Had something happened to Edward?

"I had a….and I saw…..you can't…" some words pushed through, other didn't.

"Alice, you're breaking up. I can't hear want you're saying."

She attempted again, "Don't….inside….he'll….listen to…." A loud beep filled the line before it suddenly went dead.

The phone had turned off, a no battery sign the last thing that had shown up on the screen.

"Dammit,"

It was at that moment that a hand clutched itself firmly around my shoulder, sending chills running down my spine and a lurch in my stomach that resembled nothing I had ever felt before.

It was then that I realised what Alice had been trying to tell me and it wasn't about Edward.

She had been warning me about the intruder in my house.

She had been warning me about James.

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**A/N: There you guys go. Hope you liked it. Again, sorry about the writer's block. Hopefully I'll be able to put up another chapter tomorrow. We shall see. Anyway, remember to review! :) **

_**Next Time on Living in Meyer: The final showdown. How will Ashley get out of this one? Just wait and see.**_

_**Next Time.**_


	25. Flames

**Disclaimer: Many thanks to Stephenie Meyer who created the Twilight world which has influenced every single part of this story. Also, big thanks to whoever created Lost in Austen. Sometimes I forget where this idea came from and then I remember that it's because of you. **

**A/N: Here you guys go, t****he next chapter. Now that I've beaten the writers block, I'm on a roll. Plus, I know this chap should be longer seeing how important it is but...this is the way it's turned out. So no more chatter, enjoy.**

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My body seized up, feeling his breath spilling across the back of my neck. Millions of questions spun through my mind as I tried to comprehend what was going on. How did he get in here? How did he find out where I lived?

What was worse was that here, I knew I was truly alone. But then a new emotion took hold, determination. I wasn't about to let this merciless ex-vampire take me down. And if he did, I wasn't going without a fight. He was human and so was I. The playing field, for the first time since I'd ever read about James, was even.

"Look what we have here." His voice said, still as confident as ever. God, it was guys like him that I came up against in debating that made you want to go at them just to see that arrogant smile wiped of their face.

Without thinking anything more, I twisted my body round and entwined my arm around his outstretched one, pulling it into a tight lock just like I had at Tae-kwon-do. Before he could react, I stepped back and lifted my leg up, kicking him firmly in the gut. He cringed away as I let go, running out the door and onto the street.

I'd rather be out on the streets with multiple places to go than be confined to my house with a limited amount of space. The only rooms with locks on them were the bathrooms. One, I doubted it would take much time for him to break down our weak wooden doors - my sister has broken one of them multiple times during a tantrum or two. And two, I was positive that I didn't want our toilet to be the last thing I saw before James killed me. My legs took off underneath me, running the way I had done many times before. I knew the point along the street that I would reach before I would lose all stamina for running but I didn't care, anything to get away from James. The air was cold and the wind whipped around me, my hair flying around my face.

A loud curse sounded through the air behind me and a new set of footsteps hit the pavement at a remarkable pace. I glanced behind me as I ran and had to hold back a cry, James was right behind me and running at a pace I couldn't match for very long. It appeared that as a vampire he was an average runner but transfer that agility to a more human level and he was a faster runner than I was even in my dreams.

My head snapped forward again as I kept going.

Don't trip, please god don't let me trip, I thought over and over again.

I could feel my joints begin to ache and my sides hurt but the adrenaline pumping through my body kept me going. Just keep going.

I knew where I wanted to get to, my tae-kwon-do class. It happened on Wednesdays up in a hall a few streets away. If I could get there, I'd be surrounding by people who knew how to fight and seeing a guy trying to attack me, they would probably use those skills. A glance at my watch showed me that it was too early for class yet but at least the school would provide some sort of hiding place.

"There's nowhere to go Ashley. We're alone." James yelled from behind me. I didn't want to hear that. I needed to keep running. Keep going.

My legs had started to give way but no, I had to keep going. I had never run this much before in my life and it was killing me. Slowly and painfully.

I could see the school up ahead. Just a bit more! The gate had been closed for the afternoon so I would have to jump over it to get inside. Like, that was about to stop me when I was literally seconds from being caught. Trespassing was the last thing on my mind at that moment so I wasn't worried as I leapt over the gate and began heading up the drive. A glance over my shoulder showed that James was only meters behind me, having easily crossed the gate in a short jump. He was definitely fitter and more agile than I was.

Round the corner, up onto the pavement and then meters from the door, I fell. James had leant down and grabbed my leg, pulling me down. I shuddered, waiting for the impact. My body hit the concrete, my face scraping down it. Blood filled my mouth and a stinging sensation began in several places on my body. I looked behind me as James stood over me, triumphant.

"All things come to an end." He said grinning viscously.

I looked at him hatefully as he squatted beside me. He lifted my foot up, glancing at the ankle now sending spasms of pain through my body. Clearly I had twisted it awkwardly when I'd fell. He watched my expression before wrapping his fingers around it and pressuring.

I groaned in pain, my face twisting. He enjoyed it. My pain. Hurting me.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" he said. I nodded, breathing heavily. "Now, where's Edward?" he asked. I couldn't understand why he could have anything against Edward. All he ever did was protect me. Either James was insane or had an ego the size of a continent. I was willing to say both.

"Not here," I snapped, trying to squirm away from his touch.

He smiled pleasantly, "Let's –" he began to speak as I launched out with the other foot and kicked. It hit him in the chest, stunning him and giving me time to get to my feet. I took off towards the hall, limping. To my surprise the door was open. Normally you needed a key to get in. Then again, who cared, it appeared to be my only choice of direction so I took it without much thought.

I limped into the hall, trying to make it to one of the doors on the opposite side when James reached out and gripped my hair. I didn't have time to cry out before he threw me violently into one of the wooden seats on the opposite wall.

I coughed out blood onto the wood beneath me, stopping to stare at the patterns spilled across the ground. My knee was bleeding beneath my pants where it had hit the corner of the seats.

Moving past the blood, I attempted to crawl away but was quickly thrown again back into the centre of the room. It was there that he let loose on me.

Blows hit me from every direction, kicks to the stomach and the ribs, violent pushes across the floor. I balled up, my fists trying to cover my face. When I'd been here doing this as practice, I'd never actually thought it would something I'd be doing to try and save my life.

At this moment in time, despite what I was doing to protect myself, I knew it was the end. I hadn't been killed in the car accident but this was different. No way was I confident enough to think I could escape death twice within such a small space of time. I was weak and I was down. James would simply beat me to a bloody pulp and simply get away with it because in this world he didn't even exist. The police would have no leads, no witnesses and I doubted that there were any cameras in here.

I was in so much pain that I didn't notice when he stopped. He wrenched me up by my pony-tail, making me look at him. His eyes were the last place I wanted to focus on at this point in time. They were so excited and unmoved by my suffering that it disgusted me.

"It surprised me just how easy locating you was even in this human form." He grinned maliciously. "It took me all of a few moments to sneak into your school and look up your name and family. Then it was simply a matter of using a phone book. Too simple really. Not at all fun," He looked at my leg, the blood patch seeping through the material and thought for a moment. "Well, this is in a way pleasurable." His fingers reached out, digging themselves into my wound. Nothing could block out the screams that echoed around the hall. The urge to throw up filled my stomach.

"Now, that's why I need to know where Edward is. Are you going to tell me this time?" he asked pleasantly.

I shook my head, spitting blood out onto him. If he was going to kill me, there was no way I was going to tell him where to find Edward, let alone make the experience pleasurable for him. So what if spitting blood at someone wasn't lady like. Being brutally murdered by someone wasn't exactly the most dignified occasion.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He advised, bending back my fingers until they hurt.

I could feel the tears pouring down my face, thinking back to that moment I had played the piano with Edward. Heaven, I had called it. The perfect moment, where everything seemed to be just right.

Looking back on it and comparing to what I was experiencing here and now, this was more like hell. I just wanted it to end, to be over fast. But with James human now, there was no reason why he wouldn't be able to take it slow. He no longer craved blood the way he use to. This was another form of blood lust. One that sickened me every time it appeared on the news, relentless, horrible killings that achieved nothing but suffering for everyone involved.

"I suggest you tell me where he is because whether you like it or not, I will find him. By the way, how's he doing? The last time I saw him, he wasn't looking so good." He paused, savouring the words as they flowed from his mouth and the reaction they caused me. "Actually, he looked quite breakable if you ask me." His words angered me but there was nothing I could do about it. My vision had started to blur and I could hear a ringing noise in my ears, the sort I had often after a blood test.

"I won't tell you where he is, even if you want to put me through the worst pain imaginable." I shot out.

He rolled his eyes before laughing. "How sweet, the girl is willing to die for her vampire. Maybe we should see if the vampire will die to avenge the girl." The idea excited him and I well knew it. This was what he lived for. The excitement, the pain, the…challenge. I was no challenge to someone like him. I was simply a silly, weak girl. He stood up again to resume his beating. A large kick hit me squarely in the gut and I cried out.

All of a sudden the hits stopped and I looked over the floor to find James lying flat on his back.

A voice was at my ear, panicking. "Ashley, come on. You have to get up."

Edward lifted me up into his arms despite how heavy I must have felt and how ill he must have been. Despite all this, there was a strength about him, one that I hadn't seen before. And it stood out clearly in his eyes. For the briefest of moments, I believed that I was hallucinating. Edward could not possibly be there. There was no way. But there he was, his arms around me, protecting me.

I cringed and moaned as his arms put pressure on a couple of my wounds. Then he began to walk towards one of the other doors. But James was too quick. He grabbed Edward from behind, pulling him down and sending me sprawling back across the hardwood.

I blanked in and out as they fought again. The only silver lining I could see to our situation was that at least James could not bite me. Well, he could, but it wasn't about to turn me into a vampire or anything. It sure would hurt a hell of a lot though.

The sounds of growls and crashes surrounded me when all I wanted to do was sleep. Every part of me hurt, even my pride.

My eyes flickered open again, catching sight of Edward. He looked hurt. Blood streamed from a cut on his cheek and he too was walking with a limp. James, apart from a couple of cuts on his arms looked pretty much unhurt.

He still walked with an arrogant stride. "Give up, Edward. Back home you may have been something strong but here," he gave him a smile, "here, you're just a schoolboy."

Edward stayed silent as he reached into his pocket for something. James stepped back towards the doors, blocking our exit.

I looked up as Edward smiled. It was an odd thing to see under the circumstances but that smile, to me, showed that everything would be okay. Somehow in this horrible place that didn't quite seem like home, Edward was here and would make sure I was alright.

Edward launched forward, throwing his entire body weight into James's. James flew backward into the set of double doors behind him, sending them flying open behind him. He landed firmly in the middle of another room. The scene that should have been the grass field grounds of Lugarno Public School was instead, a ballet studio. Large and open, I watched at the light reflected off the surrounding mirrors. It was silent and deserted.

It was the scene of the Edward and James's Twilight showdown. A place I recognised easily from both my imagination and the end of the movie.

With a final look at me, Edward pulled out a plastic lighter. My mouth opened as I realised what he was about to do. The flame flickered on and before James could so much as twitch, Edward walked towards the door and threw it.

I watched the small light of red and yellow fly gracefully through the air before it came to a stop, landing directly on James's chest. It spread, growing across his clothes as he cried out. If there was one way to kill a vampire, than this was it.

He thrashed around on the ground, fighting the flames as they engulfed him in a large blaze and then came the terrible scream.

I will always associate that sound with something dying. It was the sound of life being completely extinguished, quickly and painfully.

Edward stood unemotionally as the light from the flames danced across his face. There was no remorse, not even relief. If I had to say it myself, I felt no sadness at the sight of the pile of ashes now lying on the wooden floor boards on the other side of the doors. All I could feel was pain. Pain and pure, utter relief.

I didn't even realise I had cried out until Edward spun around to face me. His eyes locked in on my crumpled form lying on the ground and that was when the remorse came in. There had been nothing for the man he'd just killed, only for someone he hadn't even lifted a hand against. Edward limped towards me and sat down on the ground, pulling me carefully into his arms. There he held me against his chest, me listening to the fast paced sound of his heart beat.  
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He whispered into my hair, slow falling tears landing amongst the strands. He repeated the words over and over again. I wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, that he shouldn't cry, but I couldn't form words. Instead, I sat in silence and they were the last things I heard before I slipped slowly into darkness.

* * *

**A/N: And the last chapter awaits guys. I will try and get it out by tonight, well, tonight Australian time because that's where I am. Anyway, let me know your thoughts and review. For now, I'll fin****ish up my maths work and then begin my very last chapter of Living in Meyer.**


	26. Fragment of Forever

**Disclaimer: It doesn't belong to me, thanks Stephenie Meyer and whoever created Lost in Austen, you're brilliant. **

**A/N: So here we are, finally, with the end of the story. I hope that it does not disappoint. For the last time, Enjoy.**

* * *

The hospital room I awoke to was no so different to the one in which I had been visiting Edward before. When had that been? Hours ago? Days? I groaned at the sight of the drip in my arm and then widened my eyes once the bandages and cast came into view. I was shocked. Never in my life had I ever been in a hospital bed, let alone wrapped up in bandages in one.

My eyes locked with a familiar pair of blue ones. "Mum?" I croaked.

She walked towards the bed, looking relieved. "Ashley, you're awake." She said, standing beside me and pushing my hair off of my forehead.

"What's going on? What happened?"

She gave me a sympathetic look. "When the ambulance guys found you up at the school, you were pretty badly beat up, Ash. Two cracked ribs and a broken wrist plus bruising to most of your body. You had a mild concussion and several wounds getting you pretty low on blood by the time that they found you." I could see just how anxious she had been over everything and immediately felt bad.

"Am I going to be okay?" I asked.

She nodded, "The wrist is going to have to be in a cast for about two weeks, the ribs will have to be strapped up for a while but the internal bleeding and outside wounds are apparently healing okay. The doctors think you'll be able to come home in a couple of days but with those ribs, you won't be doing very much physical activity."

"Great…" I rolled my eyes and cringing slightly as my other joints hurt. "How long have I been in here anyway?" Did I really want to know the answer to that question?

"About three days." She told me. Great, even better. I'd spent three whole days in a bed? Gosh, what in the world have I been doing in that time. Well, duh Ashley. Sleeping.

"Oh, that's just wonderful." I commented sarcastically. Then more important questions came to mind. "Wait, mum, where's Edward? Is he okay? What about Bella and Alice and…" the words sounded like babble coming out of my mouth, they were so quick and there was so many of them.

Mum cut me off, trying to slow me down. "Okay, let me at least answer the question before you ask another one. Edward is fine, he was here for a day or two being rehydrated and having his ankle checked out." She caught sight of my face and backtracked, "Don't give me that look, it's just a sprain." I heaved a sigh of relief. "Alice was fine after a little rehydration and Bella is perfectly okay. Although, I should probably tell you that Edward has been extremely difficult about seeing you. He's probably only left the room twice since you were brought in here."

I smiled, "That's not so surprising. Where is he now?" Looking over at the empty chair in the corner of the room, I could just imagine him sitting there like a statue, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Your father almost had to drag him out of here, saying that it was about time he went back to our place and got some sleep." She returned the smile. Now that would have been funny to watch.

"What about Sarah?" I asked. Hopefully nobody had forgotten about my bubbly Twilight friend. Where would I be without her?

"Sarah's back to school and home. She's absolutely fine." I was happy to hear this. Hopefully her excitement bubble hadn't burst yet.

"And dad?" she gave me a look as if to say, 'another question? Aren't you done yet?' But answered it just the same.

"Your dad is out getting something to eat downstairs. He'll be back soon." It was at this moment that someone else entered the room. A wide grin spread across my face as I took him in.

"Edward?" My mum said surprised. "I thought you were supposed to be sleeping."

He grinned, "I heard that Ashley was awake and I wanted to see her." My mum shook her head as she us alone to talk.

The room fell silent as I gazed at him from the bed. He walked towards me, his eyes wide and sad. "Please, don't look at me like that." I said, directing my gaze away from his face.

"Like what?" he asked, confused.

I sighed, looking back. "Like you're about to throw yourself out a window just by looking at me," I was frustrated. This was one part of Edward's personality that had always bugged me, the fact that he always seemed to blame himself for things that were completely out of his control. It wasn't his fault James had hurt me, for crying out loud, he'd been in hospital at the time!

"This isn't your fault, Edward. It's all on James," I rethought, "Okay, and a little on me." I admitted.

"Don't say that. I won't allow you to blame yourself even partly for what that…that…monster did to you." He told me angrily.

Eager to move on from self blame, I asked something I had been wondering about. "Quick question, how did you get to me when you did? You made it at exactly the right time and place somehow."

"After you left, I woke up and Alice was sitting by the bed. She had a vision of you being brutalised by James and told me what the emblem on the back wall said. You told me that you lived near Lugarno so it wasn't hard to find the school. Although, I do wish I could apologize to whoever's car I had to steal to get there. That I arrived there when I did was pure luck." He stopped, staring at the floor in self loathing. "If only I'd gotten there sooner, none of this would have happened."

"You can't know that. Things happened the way they did because that was the way they were supposed to happen. Yeah, I suffered a few broken and bruised bits but I'll heal. Don't blame yourself for something you're not even sure could have been."

He reached over and stroked my hair as I leant into his hand, feeling his body heat against my cheek. It was a nice feeling. A change.

"That feels nice." I mumbled, closing my eyes.

"Warm blood, just one of the benefits of being human." He said softly.

I opened my eyes again, eager to ask about this particular subject. "So how is being human treating you anyway? What's it like?"

He laughed, "What's it like? I'm not sure how to explain how it feels."

I gave him a look, "Well, try." I pushed.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, "Alright. It's…_different._"

I frowned, wondering what exactly he meant by this comment. Did that mean he wasn't enjoying it? Did he wish he could be home right now? "You mean, you wish you were a vampire again." I said, twisting the sheets between my fingers uncomfortably.

Using two fingers he lifted my chin up again with a smile. "That's not what I said. It's not unpleasant if that's what you mean. It's just different. It's hard being slower than I usually am, not being able to run through the trees with the wind out behind me or to have to ask questions to ascertain what people are thinking. That's one of the most uncomfortable things. After having my head filled with the buzz of constant chatter for so long, having the answers to questions about everyone I meet right there below the surface and to have that knowledge suddenly disappear in an instant…it is, as I said, different."

"But not bad?"

He shook his head still smiling, "No, not bad." He continued with a new found happiness in his tone. "Then there are other things. Like being able to do this for example," he reached out and touched my cheek, "without having to worry about pushing too hard and breaking you, or having body heat, a heartbeat!" He placed a hand on his chest as though feeling it as he spoke. "And not having to worry about craving your blood. Those positives, in my opinion, outweigh any negatives I could possibly come up with. For the first time since I met you that first day in Biology, you're safe in my company." I found myself returning his smile as his words took hold. It was true. Even though me being in danger had never been something I had thought about before while being in his presence, this newfound information had set in.

The only problem was that Edward couldn't stay here. He didn't belong in this world. It wouldn't be fair to make him live in a world where fan girls everywhere knew his name, an actor walked red carpets around the world, famous for playing him in a movie. This couldn't work and I wouldn't do it to him. Despite what I wanted, to be with Edward here forever, this was how it had to be. Now, I just had to make sure that Edward saw it that way.

"I read the rest of your books while you were sleeping. I found them quite amusing actually. That is, except for Jacob Black's character. Remind me never to let you come into contact with him after January at least." He teased.

I sighed as Edward easily picked up on my mood. "Ashley, what's wrong?" he asked, worriedly. "Are you in pain? Do I need to call a nurse?" he reached for the nurse call button but stopped at my protest.

"No, I'm fine. I don't need any more pain medication."

He frowned, "Then why are you so upset?"

I took his hands in mine, looking deeply into his bright eyes. Green, the colour they had been before his change in 1918 all those years ago. "Edward, you need to go back."

He stared back at me blankly as if he somehow failed to comprehend what I was saying. "Why?" he asked quietly, his expression hard.

"Because, you don't belong here. You need to be at home with your family. Here, you're a character out of one of the most popular vampire novels in the world. There would be problems; I don't have to be Alice to see that. I want you to be safe, back home where you belong." My words hurt him but not nearly as much as they hurt me.

He let go of my hands, breaking away, stung. "I don't care about any of that. I've been a vampire for over ninety years and have been with my family during that time. Don't I deserve the chance to live my life the way I should have had I not gotten sick all those years ago? Don't I deserve to be happy here with you?" he argued pointedly.

I sat up, cringing as my body ached. The heart monitor was beeping furiously beside me with each racing beat of my chest. "Of course you do!" I yelled.

"Then what? Why?" he asked desperately as he begged for answers.

I lay back, trying to force the words out. "You won't be happy here with me." He opened his mouth to argue back but stopped, letting me cut him off. "I know you won't. Edward, I love you, but I want you to go home. I want you to leave me." I said, my voice breaking on the last few words.

He stared at me in silent anguish. "How can you say that?" His voice was like ice.

"You need to be with the right person. And she isn't me." I said bravely. "If you really love me, you'll go home and you'll forget about me. You'll go home to your family and you'll fall for the right person."

He turned away, "I can't do that." He said.

"Yes, you can." I pushed out forcefully.

Final attempt, give it all you've got Ash. "Edward, you once told Bella that you would be there for her as long as she wanted you. You would give her anything she wanted. I'm telling you that I want you to leave. This is what I'm asking for. It's _all_ I'm asking for. Please." The last word was a plead. One that forced him to face me again, his expression softened again.

"Will you do this for me?" I asked again. He didn't answer. I watched him as he slowly walked across the room, back to my bedside and gently leant in. His lips touched my forehead as softly as ever before he pulled apart.

Looking deeply into my eyes, he said six words. "If that is what you wish." I smiled, happy that he had finally seen reason but saddened that it had to be this way. "But," he continued. "I ask for only one thing in return."

My eyes widened, waiting for the last request he would ever make of me.

** ***** **

Looking back on the various times I had now seen the door open between worlds, I now know exactly why it opened when it did. The double dimensional door – as I now called it – only opened itself when I truly wanted it. As much as I thought I wanted to go home every time I yelled at Bella across worlds, my heart was saying something different. Somewhere deep down, I had wanted to see how it would end, to meet everyone I had always dreamed of meeting.

That time at the school, I had been so desperate to get away, to be safe, that the door had opened even though I hadn't realised I'd wanted it to. The same had happened in the hall. I had been hoping against hope that Edward would beat him, would come out alright. The door had made this possible for us.

And it was giving Bella, Edward and Alice their way home that I found the hardest of all. Despite how much my mind and heart wanted them to stay, the other half knew that this had to happen. That it was right.

I had slowly reached for the doorknob of my room and opened it without much thought, revealing the familiar room that was Bella's bedroom. The sheets looked just as askew as when I had left them, the books on the desk still piled up in a neat stack.

Bella gave me a hug before thanking me for everything. She was first back home, eager to see her father. I had asked her to say goodbye to him for me. Charlie was someone I was really miss.

Alice hugged me tightly, kissing me on both cheeks. Sarah had come round for the big farewell and was secretly pouting behind us. She was, although, very pleased when she received the same goodbye from her idol. For that, I believed I would gain major brownie points in the future.

She followed Bella into the room, leaving me facing the last person I wanted to say goodbye to. Edward looked down at me unemotionally. Wordlessly, he kissed me swiftly on the forehead as he had at the hospital before joining the others. And then, I watched as the door closed between worlds, shutting me off from the person I loved most in the entire world.

** ***** **

Over the next week, I counted down the days just waiting for one in particular. The Saturday night, I gripped my fingers around my door and pulled. My eyes widened in surprise as I found myself face to face with none other than Alice. She grinned back at me wickedly from an elegant room I had never seen before.

"Okay, let's get to work."

The next hour or so was spent combing, styling, dressing and covering my face in make-up. By the end of it, I was just happy to be able stand up for a while. Happy with her finished product, she ushered me over towards a mirror and pushed me in front of it.

I smiled as I took in my appearance. Alice had pulled my hair up into a bun and had done my make-up to extenuate my eyes. She'd dressed me in a long dark dress and had bought and extra big pair of black gloves so that I could wear them over my cast on my wrist.

"Edward told me that you were fond of Audrey Hepburn. This is the best I could do." Alice explained.

I shook my head, "It's wonderful, Alice. Thank you."

She rolled her eyes at my breathlessness. "Alright, let's just hope that Edward likes it." She froze for a moment before clapping her hands together. "Good, at least that part of things is okay. He's so picky sometimes. Then again, this is _you _we're talking about." With a final look at me and a shove towards the door she sighed, "Come on."

Even though I knew the general idea of what I had agreed to, the finer points I was still very much in the dark about. Like where we were going for instance. Which was why I was particularly surprised to pull up at the Swan house. I glanced over at Alice in question. "Don't worry, Bella and Charlie are down in La Push. Charlie thought it was about time his friend met his daughter."

I could understand that, but what I did wonder about was whether or not they knew we were inside their house while they were out. I decided it was probably best not to ask.

Alice leant over and opened the door, gesturing for me to get out. It hadn't been hard to get used to her paleness and golden eyes again. Though, I wasn't so sure how easy it had been for her. This was the first time I'd seen anyone from Forks since I'd wished them goodbye. I was about to get out when Alice called me back.

"Wait, Ash. I just wanted to say that, it was nice to have someone else to talk to for a while. I wish you didn't have to go home but if this is the way it's meant to be, than it is." She paused for a moment. "But, just so you know, he really does love you and it's killing him to be away from you."

These words guttered me but I didn't want to think about them. If I thought about how Edward was feeling, it would kill _me_. This was the best way and I mustn't let anything anyone said change that decision.

"Thank you Alice, I'll miss you. Well, not as much as Sarah will but still," I smiled at her, trying not to cry at the knowledge that I would never see her again after tonight.

"Don't worry," she said with a sly smile. "We'll see each other again." She told me.

My mouth dropped, "What? What do you mean we'll–"

She cut me off, tapping her temple. "Don't argue. You better go upstairs and meet Edward before he has a panic attack." She said sarcastically as she closed the door behind me.

There was no goodbye as such, not after what she had said. I just hoped that she was wrong. But, I was a stupid, stupid girl to ever bet against Alice. Instead, I pushed the thought from my mind, and concentrated on the now. Edward.

The street was silent except for the clip clopping of my heels against the pavement. I was extremely afraid of slipping and by that point the wind had nearly turned my joints to ice. Beauty is pain, a real pain. Just like Alice waxing my eyebrows earlier. Ouch that hurts.

Luckily enough, the door was unlocked but as I stepped in to the house, I found that all the lights were out. That is, until I turned the corner and the staircase was revealed. On the edge of each step, beside the bottom of the banister, was a small lit candle.

I followed the trail up the stairs until I reached the upstairs hallways. This too was lined with small glowing candles, leading the way. I followed the lights until I reached Bella's bedroom door. Wrapping my fingers around the handle, I opened it eagerly.

Standing in the middle of the room, waiting for me amongst the scattered candles and roses, dressed in a black tux, was Edward.

He looked so very different from the last time I'd seen him. The paleness of his skin had returned to its normal shade, his eyes a bright gold. He looked strong and healthy. Two things I had taken for granted, knowing his particularly undead state.

"Hi," I said breathlessly. He smiled back at me, looking me up and down like he could barely believe I was there.

"Hello," he replied. He gestured at my attire, "You look beautiful."

This had been Edward's request. Knowing that my birthday had been spent doing things…less than fun, he had asked for this one night. A chance to make it up to me and to…well, say our goodbyes. He had agreed to my request, how could I possibly deny him this?

"Thanks," I shifted uncomfortably but the awkwardness passed a moment later when Edward grinned and held out a hand for me. I returned the smile, taking it and letting him pull me towards him.

He took me in his arms without waiting a moment more. I was shocked that he'd moved so fast into such an intimate position. It made me wonder whether my scent bothered him at all. I would have thought it'd be weird going from being human to back to being a vamp again. Maybe I was wrong.

"It's been a week and I'm already missing you like crazy." He mumbled into my hair. "How am I supposed to go a life time without you?" It was a rhetorical question, but I answered it anyway. Deep down, I knew my words were more for my peace of mind than his.

"You've always been stronger than you think. Stronger than I am."

He leant back, placing a hand on my cheek. "That's not true and you know it."

I shook my head, "I don't want to talk about this right now. Not ever." I told him. He nodded in agreement.

"That's right, it's your birthday." He said.

I rolled my eyes, "My belated birthday." I corrected.

"There doesn't appear to be much of a difference from where I'm standing."

I sighed, looking around the room at the work put in to make it look so romantic, my guess was Alice. "So, what's with all…this?" I gestured around.

He followed my gaze as if realising it was all there for the first time. "I wanted it to be special." He admitted.

I grinned happily, "Edward, I'm getting to spend it with the guy of my dreams, it's already special."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. I ignored this.

"Considering that this is a party, what exactly are we going to do? I'm guessing that pass the parcel is out of the question." I teased. He chuckled, holding up a finger to tell me to wait there. A second later he was back in front of me and music was playing. It was Yiruma. How nice.

He wrapped his arms around me and looked into my eyes. "I don't know about pass the parcel but how about dancing?" he suggested. I made a face. Like Bella, I wasn't a dancer. My mum had always said that my lack of skill was down to the fact that I had no rhythm in my feet. Luckily enough that didn't go for my fingers, otherwise I would never have been able to play piano.

"Don't worry, we'll do it together." He told me as we swayed. "Besides, there's nobody here but you and me."

I looked down at my feet, "But I've never done this before."

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, there's a first time for everything."

For the next few minutes or hours, I have no idea how long, we danced to the music in the glow of the candles. I inhaled his scent, leaning my head against his chest and then it was over. My time was up. The dream was over.

"I have to go." I said, sadly. Tears had begun to build up but I refused to let them fall. I had done too much crying recently. It was time I reserved it for sad novel or movie endings.

"No, you don't." he argued.

I nodded. "Yes."

He placed his forehead against mine, closing his eyes. And then he reached up, cupping my face in his hands and kissed me. It was soft at first and then it became harder and more passionate. The sort of kiss that told me everything he wanted to say but couldn't. The one that showed me just how he felt.

We broke away, neither of us feeling sorry but both of us saddened that this would be the last time we ever saw each other. I tried not to dwell on that thought too much. If I did, I would shatter to pieces.

"Wait," he whispered before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box. It was a jewelry box. Holding it up to me, he flipped open the lid and revealed a silver necklace on which sat a small heart shaped crystal.

I shot him a questioning look, recognizing the stone. "And before you even use the words, this is not Twilight memorabilia, this is for you and you alone." He said softly before his features changed into a teasing smile. "So no trying to sell it on e-bay," I laughed, as he pulled it out of the box and quickly fastened it around my neck, letting it fall to my collar bone.

"One more thing," he told me, leaning down to the floor and reaching under Bella's bed. From there he pulled out a dark black book. On the cover was a red sun, rising from the blackness, two words written in a flowing script I recognized, 'Midnight Sun'.

My mouth dropped. I could not believe my eyes. Had he…?

"This is for you. While I was in your world, I heard about what happened with the final installment of the series. It was supposedly a book written from my character's perspective, retelling the events explained in the original novel but was never finished. I decided that I would write the book for you but how it was supposed to be. The way it actually happened, with you and me. So, you'll never forget." He looked away as he handed the smooth, thick book into my open hands. I couldn't speak, I was so stunned. He had written Midnight Sun for me. He had put his thoughts and feelings on paper for me to take with me, to keep.

"Thank you," I pushed out, the tears forming. It was the most wonderful moment of my life and I could barely contain the joy in every small part of my body. Yet, it was also the saddest.

I opened my mouth to speak but sensing the depressing words about to be spoken, Edward placed a finger to my lips, silencing me.

"No, in these last five minutes with you, I just want to be with you. No talk of leaving or things we should have done or said, just you and I together. Here," He said. And at this he took me in his arms, leaving me with a fragment of Bella's Twilight happiness.

With a small fragment of what could have been.

With the tiniest fragment of forever.

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**A/N: So there you are. I'm sorry that it had to end but like all stories, it does. I hope you've enjoyed it and as a personal request to everyone who's read the story, I ask you to review and let me know what you thought. Even if you're disappointed or you hated it, let me know. **

**Another quick word, I will be posting another chapter following this will the answers to any questions you guys might have about the story, characters, ideas…whatever. Whatever you're wondering about, no matter how odd or out there, ask me and I'll do my best to answer in the next posted chapter. **

**So, remember to review.**

**Thank you everyone. There would be no story without you, the readers. I applaud you.**


	27. Return to Meyer AN

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**Hey Everyone,**

**Just thought you'd like to know, I just published the first chapter of the sequel to Living in Meyer. It's called Return to Meyer – original, I know – so if you'd like to read it, just search for it under that name.**

**Hope you like it,**

**Bookworm_xx**

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